Fallout
by BizzyLizzy
Summary: Elizabeth is usually the one who waits at home while the action takes place elsewhere but events take an unexpected turn putting her in a difficult situation and she needs to accept the support of her friends to help her come to terms with her experiences
1. Chapter 1

_Note: Takes place after 'Epiphany', minor spoilers for that episode._

_Elizabeth is usually the one who waits at home while the action takes place elsewhere but then events take an unexpected turn putting her in a difficult situation and she needs to accept the support of her friends to help her come to terms with her experiences._

**Part one**

'I thought we'd already had this discussion,' Elizabeth told John as he stayed behind after the senior staff meeting.

'We did,' John replied, no trace of his customary boyish smile on his face. 'But the subject wasn't closed. You need to be able to do this – every other member of the Atlantis staff has had firearms training and it's even more important that the person in charge sets a good example.'

'John, I'm a diplomat not a soldier,' Elizabeth said, a note of steel in her voice, repeating what she'd already told him several times already. 'I can't go into negotiations carrying a gun.'

'And you won't have to,' John was equally insistent. 'But back there you had two scientists trying to defend you – admittedly they're both pretty handy with a gun - but they're by no means qualified to act as your bodyguard. All three of you are too important to this expedition to risk something like that happening again. I'm not asking you to carry a gun, I just need to know that you know how to use one to defend yourself should the need arise.'

'You're not going to drop this are you?' Elizabeth asked, eyes narrowed.

'No.'

'In that case I suppose I have very little choice,' Elizabeth agreed reluctantly. 'When do we do this?'

'Now would be a good time.'

'But…'

'I don't want to hear it,' John silenced her, getting to his feet. 'If we don't start now, you'll find some way to wriggle out of it.'

So Elizabeth found herself being shown the basics of handling a gun in the room set aside for target practice. Thankfully the area was deserted apart from the two of them and Elizabeth found it surprisingly easy to get the hang of loading the weapon. Actually firing the gun, however, proved to be far more problematic.

John watched as Elizabeth emptied the clip of her 9mil, grimacing as every single shot she fired missed its target, although some of them did hit the target next to hers. The rest slammed into the partition wall that had been specifically designed to stop errant weapons fire.

'Ok,' John tried to keep the amusement out of his voice. 'How about we try that again, but this time keep your eyes open.'

Watching carefully as she loaded a fresh clip into the gun, John waited for her to line up the target and fire her first shot, managing to hit the target this time before the subsequent shots missed completely again.

'Stop,' John called loudly, waiting for Elizabeth to turn to him, a look of frustration on her face. 'The first shot was good, you just need to pause after each shot and make sure you're looking at the target before you fire. Ready?'

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth fired the next shot and was relieved to see it hit the target. Instinctively she squeezed the trigger immediately, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible, but found her eyes closing as she fired the next shot which went wide of its mark.

'Remember what I said, pause after each shot and keep your eyes on the target,' John reminded her gently.

This time, she succeeded in hitting the target at each attempt and turned to John as she laid down the empty weapon.

'See, that wasn't so hard was it?' John told her.

'I guess not,' Elizabeth was still looking a little doubtful, but also a little pleased that she hadn't failed completely.

'Why don't you try a couple more clips then we'll finish for today,' John smiled, feeling some of the weight off his shoulders with the hope that Elizabeth would be able to defend herself if push came to shove.

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'You wanted me to see something?' Elizabeth appeared in the lab where Rodney and Dr Zelenka were working on a newly discovered console. It had been found by one of the teams searching the unexplored parts of the city and had brought it to Rodney's attention when it had started to glow in response to their presence. Zelenka had been sent to take a look and had returned in a state of excitement, insisting that McKay needed to see it for himself, this was soon followed by a request for Dr Weir's presence.

'Just a moment,' McKay told her distractedly, waving a hand at her as he continued to make a few minor adjustments. 'That should do it, now…Look out,' he yelled to her suddenly, but not in time as he watched in horror as an energy surge arced from the console enveloping one of her hands in a bright light for a few moments before fading away completely.

'What was that?' Elizabeth asked, her face pale as she held her hand protectively against her chest.

'Some of the panels are connected incorrectly and we haven't had chance to fix it yet,' Rodney told her, a look of panic on his face as he realised he might have just injured the leader of the Atlantis expedition. 'Are you alright?'

'It's just a small burn,' Elizabeth told him even as she realised her hand was beginning to hurt, the pain getting steadily worse.

'Let me see,' the hovering Zelenka said as he lifted her hand gently to take a look, noting the reddened, burnt area. 'This is not good – it hurts yes? Come, you must go to infirmary now.'

Elizabeth, a little bemused by the Czech scientist taking charge of the situation, found herself appreciating his presence when she began to feel unsteady as he escorted her to the transporter and was relieved when they reached the infirmary, feeling stupid for having to rely on Zelenka's help to get her there without keeling over.

'Thank you,' Elizabeth smiled at him as he left her with Dr Beckett and returned to his own work.

'What happened?' Beckett asked, leading her to sit down on one of the beds.

'Rodney wanted to show me his latest discovery, unfortunately this one decided to bite back. It didn't really hurt too much to begin with but it's been getting worse since.'

'I don't think it's too bad,' Beckett said as he examined her hand carefully. 'I'll put something on it to ease the stinging and wrap it up. You won't be able to use it for a few days but after that, as long as you're careful, you should be able to carry on as normal.' He worked as he spoke and a few minutes later her hand was bandaged, the pain beginning to fade to a dull throb.

'Thank you.' Elizabeth smiled at Beckett and stood up.

'Just a minute,' Beckett said, stopping her in her tracks, taking her wrist and checking her pulse again. 'Hmm, it's a little too fast and you're still looking a bit peaky. How are you feeling?'

'I'm fine,' Elizabeth tried to convince the doctor. 'It doesn't really hurt any more.'

'And you don't feel dizzy or faint at all?'

This question caught her off balance and before she could think of something to say, she knew her face had given her away.

'I thought so,' Carson raised his eyebrows as he continued to look at her for a few more moments. 'You don't have anything urgent to deal with for the rest of the day do you?

'No,' Elizabeth sighed as she suspected she knew where this was going. 'I was just going to finish reading the staff evaluations before the review meeting tomorrow.'

'Good, in that case, give it a miss, have an early dinner and take things easy for the rest of the evening – it's about time you had an evening off. No arguments,' he held up a hand to stop her from talking. 'Doctor's orders, and come back in the morning so I can check your hand.'

Knowing when she was beaten, and knowing full well the doctor had his own network of spies that would report back to him if she didn't do as he said, Elizabeth reluctantly headed for the mess hall where she half-heartedly ate most of the casserole that was the main dish on offer before returning to her quarters. By the time she arrived she was surprised at how drained she was feeling and lay down on her bed, propping herself up against the pillows with a book in her hand. She'd barely had chance to open the book when she heard someone banging on the door.

Sighing, she stood up and opened the door to find a frantic Rodney standing there, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he observed her bandaged hand.

'Are you alright? What are you doing here? Oh my god, you're going to lose your hand aren't you? Shouldn't you be in the infirmary? What about a second opinion – the Daedalus should be back in a few days, their doctor may be able to do something? Although Beckett is one of the best doctors so I doubt anyone else can fix this. Does this mean you'll have to return to Earth? What about…'

'Rodney,' Elizabeth tried to catch his attention, but in the middle of his ranting he seemed incapable of hearing her. 'Rodney.' She said again, much firmer this time and he stopped his twittering at last. 'I'm going to be fine, it's just a burn, nothing too serious but Dr Beckett insisted I get some rest, so here I am.'

'Oh, well that's good to hear – what do you mean he told you to rest? Is there something else wrong?'

'No, I was just a bit shaken up that's all. Now if you don't mind?'

'Oh, right, of course, well I'll just…'

'By the way, what was that console?'

'It's some kind of library. It works independently from the main database so it's possible there could be vital information there that could help us against the wraith, or the Ori, I suppose.' Rodney was waving his hands around as he talked, completely engrossed in the subject. 'We're still trying to get it up and running properly without…you know - hurting anyone else – but we should definitely get some people to work on figuring out what information is in there as soon as it's fixed.'

'I agree,' Elizabeth agreed, relieved that it hadn't been a completely wasted afternoon. 'Let me know when it's ready and I'll assign a team to get to work on it. Good night.' Rodney had opened his mouth to say something else, but Elizabeth was ahead of him and by the time he tried to get the words out, the door had closed. Sighing to herself, Elizabeth gave up on reading her book, instead she got herself ready for bed, finding herself surprisingly tired and within moments of settling down she was fast asleep.

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Feeling much better after her early night, Elizabeth stopped off in the infirmary after breakfast to have the dressing on her hand changed. As soon as she was free to go, she headed for her office to hastily catch up on the last few evaluations before heading for the conference room where she arrived just before the rest of the senior staff turned up.

It was a short meeting, although Rodney was able to report that the library console was in full working order and requesting that the team Elizabeth had promised be made available as soon as possible, which was her first task as soon as the meeting had ended.

'I hear Rodney tried to kill you with his new toy yesterday,' John stopped to say, the last one to leave the meeting. 'How's the hand?'

'It stings a little still, but it's going to be fine, thanks,' Elizabeth smiled at John's comment before heading off to speak to the people she had in mind to work on this potentially vital piece of technology.

The rest of the morning passed quickly and just before she grabbed a quick lunch, she decided to check on the progress being made in what was now being called the library. There were a number of other consoles in there along with the one that was already working and Rodney was guessing that they had a similar function.

Her footsteps slowed as she turned the corner immediately before she reached the last door in this corridor, the one she was heading for, her eyes falling on two SOs lying on the ground in front of the door.

She moved cautiously forward, looking around nervously as she tried to figure out what had happened. As she drew closer to the guards, one of them waved his hand at her weakly, gesturing to her. Kneeling down beside him, she listened in horror to what he had to say, glancing at the second guard who she could clearly see was dead. Taking the 9mil from the dead guard with shaking hands, she stood and made to return to the other end of the corridor as instructed by the guard to call for help on the radio. Before she could move away, voices inside the library caught her attention and instead she stood to one side of the door listening to what was going on, ignoring the guard's frantic signals to get herself out of there and wait for help to arrive.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part two**

"There it is again," Sergeant Read, the Canadian 'gate technician, frowned at the console in front of him, looking up at Dr Zelenka who was standing behind him.

"That part of the City should be on minimal power." Zelenka looked equally puzzled at the strange power fluctuations emanating from the northwest pier. "Perhaps there are problems with power relays, I should take a look."

"Anyone seen McKay?" Colonel Sheppard arrived at that moment, taking in the scene in front of him at a glance.

"He was working in library, he is probably still there," Zelenka told him absently.

"What's going on?" John asked, peering at the console that had them so interested.

"We've been getting some unusual energy readings. Dr Zelenka was about to go take a look," Read told him, noting the frown on John's face.

"Mind if I tag along?" John turned to Zelenka.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Zelenka asked anxiously.

"Nothing – probably," John tried to appear casual, but failed. "Just a feeling."

Zelenka shrugged his shoulders, accepting the explanation and turned to leave, closely followed by John. It didn't take them long to collect the equipment Zelenka required before using the transporter to get as close to their destination as possible. As they emerged, John waved Zelenka back inside the transporter while he went to investigate.

Zelenka had been waiting impatiently for several minutes when he heard the sound of running footsteps heading back in his direction. Instantly on the alert, he had his hand ready to hit the control panel the moment John skidded into the transporter and they were back in the control room before either of them had chance to catch their breath.

"There's a cloaked ship out there," John announced, looking around for Dr Weir. "I saw at least a dozen men, they're loading our equipment on to their ship. It's probable there are more of them in the city – they're getting that stuff from somewhere. Anyone seen Dr Weir?"

"She was going down to the library to check on progress," Read reported even as he tried to contact her. "She's not responding to her radio."

"Well we can't wait for her to turn up," John said decisively before activating the City's communications. "This is Sheppard to all personnel. We have a security breach, all security teams report to their duty stations, non-essential personnel are to remain where they are until further notice. Zelenka," he turned to the scientist as soon as he'd finished addressing the City, "I want you to find out how our sensors managed to let that ship get past without being detected."

Nodding at Read, the doors to Stargate operations were closed as soon as John left the room while he opened a channel to the military personnel to issue further instructions.

"We've secured the ship and fourteen people, with another ten unaccounted for if the prisoners are telling us the truth," John was able to report to the control room half an hour later. "I need you to lock down the sections of the city as you receive word they've been checked. Anything from Dr Weir yet?"

"I'm afraid not, sir," Read reported reluctantly, hearing the concern for their leader in Sheppard's voice, a concern that everyone in the control room was feeling. "We've also been unable to locate Dr McKay, Dr Lampard says the five people she sent down to the library are unaccounted for and we've not been able to contact two of the SOs."

"Understood. I'm on my way to the library now to check it out. Sheppard out." John remained silent for a few moments, his mind running through various scenarios before he spoke into his radio once more. "Lorne, this is Sheppard. You're in section 7 aren't you?" Receiving an affirmative, he continued. "Weir, McKay and seven others were last known to be in the vicinity of the library. I want you to take a team down to check it out but proceed with caution. I'll meet you down there."

Ten minutes later, John, Teyla and Ronon accompanied by four marines appeared in the corridor leading to the library. Moving silently, listening carefully for indications of what might be happening ahead, they approached the two guards on the floor outside the library door.

John checked one of the men, shaking his head as he found no signs of life, relieved to see Teyla nodding as she found a pulse on the other one but before he could get to his feet, he froze as he heard voices inside the room and the sound of a single gunshot. Gesturing to the others to take up positions around the door and wait for his signal, John glanced into the room to determine their next course of action.

Half expecting to see Lorne, who hadn't been waiting for them outside as expected, John was taken aback at what he saw. Standing in the middle of the room, Dr Weir was holding a 9mil gun tightly in both hands, a fierce look on her face as she took a few steps forward before she fired again with the same look of grim determination.

Rapidly assessing the situation, John motioned for the marines to secure the room while Ronon and Teyla followed him towards the source of the gunfire, covering him as he checked the status of the victim, shaking his head to indicate he was no longer any threat.

Glancing across the room, he was aware two of the marines were checking and securing one of the intruders who appeared to be injured, but his main focus was on Elizabeth who was still standing with the gun aimed at the dead man.

"It's over," John assured her before prying the gun from her grip when she refused to relinquish it voluntarily. "What happened?" Taking a closer look at her stunned expression and the paleness of her face when she didn't respond, he tried another question. "You ok?"

"What?" She looked at him vaguely before recognition dawned. "I'm fine," she assured him, smiling humourlessly, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I need to help the others." John reached out a hand to grab her arm and keep her where she was for the moment when she attempted to move away.

"You need to get yourself checked out," John told her firmly. "Ronon, take Dr Weir to the infirmary."

"I know the way, thank you," Elizabeth told him irritably.

"I know you do but there may be more unfriendlies out there and until I'm sure we've got them all, no-one is to wander around the City without an escort."

"Of course," Elizabeth's voice softened, accepting John's explanation. "I didn't think."

"No, I can see that," John's voice showed the concern he was feeling. "That's why you need to go to the infirmary. I'll catch up with you later." Watching as Elizabeth left the room, he turned as he heard a familiar voice.

"I could use a little help here."

"Rodney? What happened?" John moved towards him.

"I've been shot, that's what happened." Rodney's voice was verging on a whine before he turned to yell at one of the marines who had been tending his injuries, wrapping a dressing around his leg. "Be careful you clumsy oaf, I'm going to need to use that to walk. Where are all the medics, anyway? Why am I having to put up with this idiot mauling my leg around?"

"We're only allowing military personnel to move around the City right now until we're sure it's safe," John told him as his eyes picked out Teyla and the other men who were tending to the injured civilians. "Don't worry, we'll be taking you up to the infirmary as soon as we can."

"Hmm." Rodney lapsed into silence, but his initial reactions to the treatment of his wound told John it wasn't that serious.

"Dr Cartwright is dead," Teyla appeared to deliver an update. "The others have various minor injuries but nothing too serious. How was Dr Weir?"

"In shock." John looked around to see if there was any sign of Lorne yet. "I'd really like to know what happened in here, but I guess that's going to have to wait until things settle down. Lorne?" John spoke into his radio. "This is Sheppard. Where the hell are you?"

"I'm not entirely sure, sir," Lorne responded, his voice faint and crackly. "The transporter didn't take us where we wanted to go, but I think we're somewhere on the south-east pier judging by what I can see out of this window."

"Understood, stand by. Control room, this is Sheppard, what's going on with the transporters?"

"We've received reports from several teams who we think are trapped in one the buildings on the southeast pier. I was just about to warn everyone not to use the transporters until we've got the problem fixed," Sergeant Read reported.

"I am trying to fix it now," Zelenka's voice spoke up. "But this would go much faster if Rodney were here."

"Not much chance of that, I'm afraid – we found him but he's been injured. Nothing too serious," John added, receiving a glare from McKay which he ignored. "Hold on." John stopped speaking for a moment as he saw Ronon re-entering the room without Elizabeth. "What's going on?"

"Dr Weir entered the transporter before me and it closed before I could get in. Then the doors wouldn't open again," Ronon told him.

"Ok, there's nothing else you can do about it for now, go help the others." As he finished speaking to Ronon, he returned to Read. "It looks as though Dr Weir has been affected by the malfunction. How many people have been redirected?"

"We've had reports from three teams which tallies with the life-signs we're getting in that area…no, there's an individual life-sign that we can't account for."

"That must be Dr Weir."

"I'll get the teams already there to pick her up and start making their way back here, although it's going to take a while. Dr Zelenka hasn't been able to identify the problem and isn't sure how long it's going to take to carry out repairs."

"Are all the occupied areas secured yet?"

"Yes sir, and they've been locked down."

"Good, you need to start moving people into central locations to free up more people to continue sweeping the city. Are the stairways clear between here and the infirmary?"

"Just a minute…Yes, you've got a clear run."

"Ok, we'll start making our way up. Sheppard out."

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Elizabeth, taken by surprise when the transporter activated as soon she'd stepped inside, exited as soon as the doors opened, then moved back inside again when she realised she didn't recognise where she was, finding herself at a loss when she realised the control panel inside the transporter had sealed off leaving her with no way of activating it.

Noticing for the first time that she must have lost her radio in the scuffle with one of the intruders in the library, she sighed and left the transporter again to start making her way down the hallway to see if she could figure out where she was and how she could get back to the main city.

The area was very dimly lit compared to the bright lighting of the main parts of the city and it was obvious the area she had arrived in hadn't been used for some time - there was a strong smell of damp and the floor was covered in a muddy coating. Shrugging her shoulders and shivering as a dull ache in her head began to make itself felt, she continued walking but found putting one foot in front of the other took a lot more energy than it should.

She'd been walking for ten minutes when she heard a noise behind her. Turning to see who was there, she was shocked to find a gun pressed against the side of her head, her assailant pulling her against him and hissing in her ear, telling her to shut up. Frozen with fear, she did as she was told and waited to find out what he wanted.

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_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part three**

"She's right around this corner." Lorne, studying the life signs detector in his hand, identified that they had found their quarry. The three teams that were stranded soon found each other and began to check out the location they had been transported to when they received word that Dr Weir had also been deposited here. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he held up his fist to bring the group to a stop.

"I'm reading a second life-sign with her," Lorne looked puzzled. "It's most likely someone else stranded here, but we'll approach with caution."

Following Lorne's directions, two of the teams rounded the corner and halted, immediately dropping into defensive positions as they saw a tall man holding Dr Weir tightly against him, a gun pointed directly at her head.

"Listen carefully," the man spat out, his voice tense and strained. "I don't care what kind of game you're playing but it's not going to work. You're going to get that transporter of yours fixed and then the two of us are getting out of here. Is that clear?"

"I can't do that," Lorne called back. "We've got a problem with the transporters and we're going to have to get out of here the hard way. Put down…"

Before Lorne could finish, he watched helplessly as Dr Weir appeared to faint leaving the man supporting her dead weight. As the man adjusted his hold on her, she twisted violently, lashing out at him with her knees and hands, hitting several vulnerable parts of his body that had him crouching over in pain, trying to back away from further attacks from his former hostage who had suddenly turned into a wild animal.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lorne had his men secure the intruder while he and Lt Cadman did their best to deal with Dr Weir.

"Dr Weir? It's alright, we've got him secured now," Lorne told her, taking a step backwards when he saw her eyes flashing with anger, not entirely sure she knew she was safe. "It's Major Lorne. Ma'am?"

"Major?" Elizabeth's eyes focussed on the two officers standing in front of her, her body visibly relaxing as she realised she was with her own people. "What's going on?"

"We found a cloaked ship on the northwest pier, the crew were loading it with our supplies. We'd more or less got the situation under control when the transporters started going haywire and they've had to be shut down until Dr Zelenka can fix it," Lorne reported as briefly as he could before asking a question of his own. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she told him, giving him an unconvincing smile. "Just a bit shaken up. At least Teyla's self-defence classes came in handy."

"I thought I recognised some of those moves - she certainly knows a thing or two about defending herself," Lorne agreed, smiling at her. "I'm afraid we're going to have to make our own way back to civilisation. Are you up to it?"

"I'll be fine."

"Very well. Everyone set?" He looked around at the others who were ready for him to give the signal, the intruder being secured and under the watchful eyes of two marines. "Let's get going then."

Cadman, walking just behind Dr Weir, kept a close eye on the leader of Atlantis. In spite of her insistence that there was nothing wrong and that she could manage the long trek, Cadman quickly realised she was struggling to keep going and hastened forward to place a supporting hand at her elbow.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Cadman asked.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth replied briefly, then fell silent again as she focussed once more on keeping up with the rest of the group who were getting further ahead. "Just a bit of a headache." Elizabeth paused before finally admitting the cause. "I hit my head earlier."

"Why didn't you say something?" Cadman scolded her gently. "Stop a moment and let me take a look. Did you lose consciousness at all?"

"Maybe for a few moments, I don't really remember."

"It doesn't look too serious," Cadman smiled at Elizabeth reassuringly after checking her over. "Here, these might help a little." She handed Elizabeth a couple of painkillers and her water bottle, noticing the dirty and torn dressing on her left hand as she did so. "What happened?"

"I burnt my hand on one of the library consoles yesterday," Elizabeth explained, seeing Cadman roll her eyes.

"One of Rodney's new gadgets – I've heard about it," Cadman smiled as she proceeded to clean up the hand as best she could, tutting to herself at the broken blisters, before redressing it. "Well, that's the best I can do for the moment but you'd better let Dr Beckett take a look at that and your head as soon as we get back." She glanced behind her as Lorne appeared – he had been bringing up the rear and had now caught up with them.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"She has a minor concussion," Cadman told him. "I've given her something to help the headache but I don't think it's too bad."

"Do you have any other injuries you've not declared?" Lorne asked keeping his tone light, but Elizabeth understood his position and that he needed to know what was going on with the people he was responsible for.

"Just my hand," Elizabeth told him, holding it up for him to see.

"I've cleaned and redressed it, but she'll need to get it looked at when we get back," Cadman filled in the additional information.

"Good. Are you ready to go on now?"

Elizabeth nodded her head, ignoring the overwhelming tiredness she was feeling. It had been a demanding day, both physically and emotionally, and it was far from being over. Pulling herself together, she wearily began to put one foot in front of the other, focussing her energies solely on the journey back to the central tower.

"It's been an interesting day," Cadman, still walking beside Elizabeth, tried to draw her into conversation.

"I can't say I'd noticed," Elizabeth smiled at her before falling silent again, finding she didn't have enough energy to manage even the shortest of conversations, not if she were to get back under her own steam.

They were near the top of the building they had ended up in, around twenty floors up, but they had only gone down a couple of flights of stairs before they hit their first problem. Coming to a halt behind the group of men who were waiting for Major Lorne to arrive, they could see the problem.

Part of the staircase in front of them had collapsed, the damaged area far too extensive for them to consider getting across it somehow. Lorne rapidly consulted with the other team leaders before speaking.

"Ok, we're going to have to head to the opposite side of the building where there's another stairwell and continue that way. I'm sorry folks, but this is going to take a little longer than we hoped." Standing to one side, Lorne waited for everyone else to head off down the corridor, bringing up the rear once again, pausing long enough to update the control room on their progress, or rather lack of it.

"We do have some good news," Colonel Sheppard informed Lorne just before he signed off. "Dr Zelenka has managed to isolate the fault on the transporters, unfortunately that means the entire south east of the city has been disconnected from the transporter circuit, but when you do make it back to a more central location, you won't have all those stairs to climb."

"Well that's something, sir. Lorne out." Sighing, Lorne picked up his pace to catch up with the rest of the group and they continued their journey, reaching the alternative staircase at last. This time, they managed to make it down seven levels before they were forced to divert back to the original staircase because of another collapsed section, hoping they would find that the first set of stairs would be usable at this lower level.

They were half way along the corridor when a signal from the control room alerted Lorne to a problem, as soon as he'd heard the first few words he halted the group and continued listening to the brief message.

"Ok, folks," Lorne said to the others, pulling out his life signs detector. "The control room have picked up three more life signs a couple of floors down. They don't belong to any of our people so we're assuming they're more intruders. You two," he nodded at the two guarding their prisoner, "stay at the rear and keep a close watch on him. Cadman, you and Dr Weir should also stay at the back. The rest of us will deal with the intruders. Let's move."

They made their way down another two floors when Lorne stopped them again and indicated that those who were to stay out of the way should wait for further instructions.

Taking the opportunity to sit down on the bottom step, Elizabeth couldn't believe how tired she felt now they had stopped. Closing her eyes briefly and leaning her head against the wall, she jumped when she heard someone speak from right beside her.

"How are you doing?" Cadman asked, watching Elizabeth's pale and tired face.

"I'm ok," Elizabeth told her, trying to convince herself as much as anything. "What's that noise?"

Twisting around, she identified that the low warbling sound was coming from somewhere in the throat of the prisoner. At the same moment, Cadman realised what he was doing and spoke hastily into her radio.

"Major, the prisoner's signalling the others somehow, watch your back."

There was no response, but a few seconds later the sounds of gunfire and shouting voices began, moving steadily closer towards them. Cadman and one of the other men, Elizabeth hadn't caught his name, immediately positioned themselves at the corner of the stairs so they could either provide covering fire for their own people or defend their position should the need arise. Elizabeth, at a quick nod from Cadman, had hastily moved to the top of the stairs, followed by the other guard and the prisoner.

Crouching at the bottom of the next set of stairs, out of the line of fire, Elizabeth listened intently trying to get some understanding of what was going on but only hearing confused shouting and the occasional gunshot. She was distracted from what was going on down below by a noise coming from behind her. She turned her head and watched in horror as the prisoner, who had managed to get his bound hands in front of him, proceeded to use his head to ram the guard's stomach, winding him first and then using the gun he pulled from the guard's holster to knock him out.

She got to her feet and opened her mouth to call for help but before she could do anything, the prisoner was behind her, pulling her against him, his arms around her neck until he was able to begin gently squeezing her throat, preventing her from making more than a small squeak that was easily drowned out by the noise of the fighting below.

"All I want is to get me and my friends out of here in one piece," he hissed into her ear. "And you're going to be the means of getting that. If you behave yourself like a good little girl, you may just get out of this alive, if you give me any trouble…" he pulled his arms tighter until Elizabeth could see dark spots in her vision and she couldn't breathe until he loosened his grip slightly. "Understood?"

Elizabeth nodded, unable to do anything but obey.

"Good, looks like we're going to get on just fine this time."

Elizabeth shivered involuntarily at the tone of these words. Her earlier anger had helped get her out of the situation before, but now she felt completely drained and helpless and unable to piece her thoughts together to enable her to come up with any kind of plan to get herself out of this mess.

"Now, the first thing I want you to do is take that knife and cut me loose." Releasing her to do as he asked, he held the gun in both hands, aiming it at her, ready to fire if she so much as moved a millimetre in the wrong direction. As soon as he was free, he snatched the knife from her and threw it away before re-establishing his hold on her, one arm secured around her neck, the other pinning her arms to her side after he had shoved the gun in the waistband of his pants, resting against his back.

Once this was done, they waited in silence until the noise below had stopped and they could hear the sound of returning footsteps. The prisoner took this as his cue and slowly and awkwardly, they began to make their way down the stairs.

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_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Part four**

Major Lorne led the way back to the staircase feeling rather weary at the state of affairs but pleased that they had overpowered and secured the three intruders with little difficulty, testament to the quality of the Atlantis personnel. Glancing up as something untoward appeared at the corner of his eye, he grimaced as he realised he was faced with yet another problem, rapidly assessing the situation before motioning to his people to back up to a safe distance and ensure the new prisoners remained under their control.

At the top of the flight of stairs immediately in front of him he saw their first prisoner, who was now free, holding Dr Weir hostage. It appeared he was taking no chances this time and held her securely, one arm wrapped tightly around her throat and already beginning to exert pressure if the look of panic and redness on Dr Weir's face were anything to go by.

"Keep back and she won't be harmed," the former prisoner called out. "You are going to let me and my friends – all of them – go, and you are going to ensure we have safe passage back to our ship and allow us to leave. Is that understood?" To make sure his message was fully understood, he tightened his grip around Elizabeth's throat and Lorne could see her struggling to catch her breath, her eyes rolling back in her head until the grip was loosened enough to allow her to gulp in some much needed oxygen, but not enough to allow her to get away as she had before.

Narrowing his eyes, Lorne considered the demands, reluctant to give in. Fortunately, one option that he hadn't considered came to him even as he watched the prisoner begin to squeeze Elizabeth's throat again, her face turning purple, her legs beginning to sag as the life was being squeezed out of her.

The option came via a radio message from Cadman who was standing somewhere behind him. He'd been aware of chatter on the radio but had blocked it out leaving Cadman to deal with it and she was now relaying the information he needed. Nodding once to show he had understood the message, he took a step forward, catching the attention of the prisoner who once again loosened his grip. This time Elizabeth remained limp, not responding to the change in status and Lorne knew it was time to act, as did Sergeant Bennett who had now regained consciousness and provided the diversion Lorne needed.

Distracted by the noise Bennett was making behind him, the prisoner turned his head sharply giving Lorne a clear shot and only one chance to take it. Aiming his P90, Lorne pulled the trigger and fired a single shot. He hit his mark and even as he was racing up the stairs towards his target, Bennett was there before him to pull Elizabeth away from the prisoner whose lifeless body crumpled and rolled slowly down the stairs until Lorne stopped it, gesturing to two of his men to get it out of the way until someone could be sent to deal with it.

Lorne continued to the top of the stairs, glancing back to see Cadman close behind him, both reaching Bennett at the same time as he was trying unsuccessfully to find Elizabeth's pulse. Taking one look at Bennett's glazed expression and shaking hands, Lorne grabbed his vest and hauled him out of the way giving Cadman room to take over. Watching for what seemed to be hours, but was in reality only seconds, Cadman looked up at him and nodded to show she had found a pulse. Relaxing slightly, he turned his attention to Bennett who was now sitting with his back against the wall, his head in his hands.

"How are you doing?" Lorne asked, checking the painful looking bump on the side of his head.

"I'll be fine, sir," Bennett replied, peering up at him through half closed eyes.

"That was good work there," Lorne patted his shoulder and handed him some water. "Take it easy for a few minutes, we're not going to be moving on just yet. How's she doing?" Lorne asked Cadman who was helping a now-conscious Elizabeth to sit up.

"Mainly shock and a sore throat, I think," Laura told him, supporting Elizabeth against her as she seemed too unsteady to sit up unaided just yet. "The sooner we get back to the main city the better as far as I'm concerned."

"I think that goes for all of us, Lieutenant," Lorne smiled before addressing his next statement to Dr Weir. "We'll rest here until you're ready to move on." Elizabeth nodded, finding it too painful to say anything just yet and watched as Lorne headed back down the stairs to join the rest of the team.

"Lorne to control," he spoke into his radio as soon as he had given the order to take a break. "We've got the three intruders, unfortunately the first captive is dead and Dr Weir and Sergeant Bennett have received some minor injuries. We've encountered a few problems with the route we've been taking and will be a little longer getting back than we'd hoped."

"Is Dr Weir alright?" John asked anxiously.

"It's nothing too serious, sir, Cadman's taking care of her so she's in good hands."

"I see. Do you need to speak to Dr Beckett?"

"No, just let him know we'll get the two casualties to him as soon as we can. I'll contact you if anything else crops up. Lorne out."

Taking the time to drink some water and eat a power bar, Lorne sat on the bottom step watching the group of men in front of him, his eyes mainly focussed on the rather subdued captives who seemed to have lost all inclination to fight back after discovering how easily they had been overpowered and what had happened to their colleague. Hoping that the rest of the trip back to the city would go a lot more smoothly, he got to his feet to check on the two injured people at the top of the stairs.

"I'm good to go whenever you're ready, sir," Bennett told him as soon as he appeared, looking a lot more alert than he had ten minutes ago though still pale with a slightly dazed look in his eyes.

Nodding at the information, Lorne turned his attention to the two women. Elizabeth was now sitting at the bottom of the next flight of steps, Cadman sitting beside her with an arm around her shoulder, trying to persuade her to eat at least some of the power bar she held out.

"We've still got quite a way to go," Lorne told her. "You really should have something to eat before you pass out."

Sighing at his uncompromising tone, Elizabeth accepted the power bar and took an unenthusiastic bite out of it, swallowing the mouthful painfully. Aware that Lorne was still watching her, Elizabeth took another bite, forcing herself to keep going until she'd finished.

"Ready to go in five minutes?"

Elizabeth nodded wearily, feeling a little better for having something to eat but uncertain how far she could get even now under own steam. Her head was still aching and she couldn't believe how tired she was. Not just an ordinary tired, but a bone-aching exhaustion that made even her hair feel tired but she was determined to make it back on her own two feet and pushed the experiences of the day to a distant corner of her mind.

------------

By the time they reached the bottom of the building, Elizabeth's legs felt as though they had turned to jelly. Cadman, who had been helping her down the last few flights, could feel the tension in Elizabeth's arm and back and could feel her shaking with the effort and lowered her to a sitting position on the bottom step, handing her some water to drink.

As soon as she had drunk the water, Elizabeth rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to reduce the pounding in her head and to cool down her body that had become overheated with the effort recently expended.

"Ten minutes," Lorne said as he came back to where Elizabeth was resting, frowning as he realised how ill she was looking. Bennett was also struggling and was taking the opportunity to rest up, unwilling to put his team-mates out by requesting a stop, although he needed one almost as much as Elizabeth. It would be a relief to get the two of them to the infirmary and checked out – it would be a relief just to get back to civilisation for that matter.

Elizabeth must have dozed off during their brief stop as she could feel someone shaking her shoulder to get her attention. She opened her eyes and peered around her groggily, trying to force herself to a more alert state and failing miserably as her head continued to pound, her throat felt raw and painful and the temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees and made her shiver at the coolness.

"Here," Laura handed her a couple more pills and the water then took off her jacket and wrapped it around Elizabeth's shoulders. "Ready to go?"

Elizabeth gave her a weak smile and was glad she was on her feet by the time Lorne approached to make sure they were ready to get going as she had the feeling Lorne would be happier to see her on a stretcher.

"Are you going to be alright?" Lorne asked, taking a good look at Elizabeth. "If you don't think you can make it I can get a team here to assist you."

"I'm fine," Elizabeth tried to reassure him, knowing he didn't really believe her. "I want to get back as much as anyone. I'll be fine."

Still unsure of the wisdom of this, Lorne nevertheless took the lead and continued the journey, thankful it was mainly flat ground now and that once they reached the parts of the city currently in use they would be able to use the nearest transporter. He was really looking forward to being able to get this day over and done with.

---------------

They were still twenty minutes from the nearest transporter when Lorne realised Dr Weir needed assistance. He had dropped back to bring up the rear again, his gut instinct telling him that all was not well and a few minutes later he saw her stumble, Cadman catching her and lowering her to the ground, keeping a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright.

"Lorne to infirmary," he spoke into his radio before approaching the two women. "We could use some assistance here, Dr Weir's condition has deteriorated and I don't think she can walk any further. Sergeant Bennett could use some help as well." He had observed the sergeant dropping to a sitting position as soon as they had stopped again and he wasn't prepared to push either of the injured parties any further.

"She's not doing so well," Laura advised Lorne when he came up, crouching in front of them to check Weir out for himself. "Her pulse is rapid and thready, I think she has a fever and she doesn't seem to be aware of what's going on."

"Help is on its way," Lorne assured the concerned Cadman. "You're doing a good job. I'm going to leave Bennett here with the two of you along with a couple more men – I want to get these prisoners put safely away before anything else can go wrong. You shouldn't have to wait too long – I suspect Colonel Sheppard will be cracking the whip."

"I think you're right on that one," Laura grinned and nodded to someone who was approaching behind him. "Colonel."

"Colonel?" Lorne jumped to his feet in surprise, not expecting to find his CO standing right behind him. He was accompanied by Ronon. "What..?"

"Are we doing here?" John finished for the incoherent Lorne, raising an eyebrow before continuing. "Cracking the whip, I guess." He grinned briefly as Lorne flushed with embarrassment at being overheard. "I just thought it would be a good idea to see how you were getting on. I picked up your message to the infirmary – they'll be here in a few minutes by the way. I had a hunch you might be needing them so they set out before you contacted them."

"That's a relief, sir," Lorne visibly relaxed now there was someone else to take over from him, freeing him up to deal with the relatively straight-forward matter of the prisoners. "In that case, I'll see about getting these people under lock and key. Colonel."

Not waiting for Lorne and his people to depart, John knelt down beside Cadman and Elizabeth, his concern for his friend and the leader of Atlantis greatly increased as he noted her complete lack of awareness of his presence.

"Elizabeth?" He spoke quietly, touching her arm gently as he didn't want to startle her. "Elizabeth, it's John. How are you doing?"

Her eyes began to focus as she recognised someone calling her name, but feeling a hand on her arm made her panic and she pulled pulling herself free from Cadman. scrambling to her feet. John hesitated as he saw Elizabeth stagger a few steps before she found her balance and, finding some hidden reserve of energy, started to run shakily away from the people she perceived as her enemy.

She didn't have chance to get very far. Ronon was on top of her almost before she was aware of his presence, grabbing her and holding her securely in a bear hug when she would have fallen down the steps she had unintentionally been running towards. Still not fully aware of what was going on, she fought against the arms restraining her with what little strength she had left.

"Dr Weir. Dr Weir - it's alright, you're with friends," Ronon spoke firmly, keeping his choice of words simple, trying to get through to the panicking woman. "You're safe, you don't have to fight any more, but you need to calm down." This seemed to work and John moved cautiously towards them. Ronon released his grip but found himself supporting her almost completely as the burst of adrenaline that had fuelled her escape attempt rapidly drained away and he lowered her gently to a sitting position, kneeling beside her to prevent her from falling over.

"John? Ronon?" Elizabeth looked around her in bewilderment.

"Elizabeth?" John asked uncertainly, not sure what reaction he might get, relieved when she appeared to be herself again. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I…I don't remember," she whispered, her forehead creased in concern as she tried to recall where she was or what she was doing there. "I don't remember anything after leaving my office to get some lunch. What time is it?"

"It's almost nineteen hundred," John told her, frowning.

"Oh." Elizabeth considered this information but appeared to be finding rational thought a struggle, a few moments later her eyes closed and her body went limp.

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_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Part five**

Ronon laid Elizabeth on the ground, pulling off his coat to put over her to provide some warmth as she began to shiver, glancing up at John who had turned around as Dr Beckett and the medics arrived, not a moment too soon.

"What happened?" Beckett demanded as he knelt down beside the unconscious Elizabeth, rapidly checking her life signs and responses.

"She just collapsed a short time ago," Ronon told him briefly.

"What about injuries?" Beckett asked, trying to get more information about his patient.

"She told me she hit her head earlier but she couldn't remember if she lost consciousness or not. She's had a mild headache and I've given her some Tylenol," Cadman spoke up. She'd been standing to one side, not wanting to intrude on what was taking place, but now she knew the information she had could be very important. "She's got some broken blisters on her hand that may be infected, when I checked her a short time ago she seemed to have a fever and one of the prisoners took her hostage and tried to strangle her. She appeared exhausted and has been confused and not very responsive for the last half hour or so."

"Thanks," Beckett smiled at her, nodding to the two orderlies to move her to the gurney they had brought with them.

"Will she be alright?" John asked anxiously.

"I think so," Beckett told him reassuringly. "None of the injuries seem to be too serious, but we really need to get her to the infirmary."

John nodded, wanting nothing more than to follow closely behind them, but with Elizabeth out of action he was in charge of Atlantis and his next move was to check on Sergeant Bennett who was being helped into a wheelchair by another medic.

"How are you doing, Bennett?" He asked.

"Not too bad, sir," Bennett told him. "I've got a humdinger of a headache and I'm a bit dizzy but the doc thinks I'll live."

"That's good to hear," John grinned at the flippant answer, watching as the other man was whisked off to the infirmary.

"Well I guess we should get back ourselves," John announced to Ronon, Cadman and the two marines left behind. "Lieutenant, I'd like to hear a bit more about what happened this afternoon."

"Yes, sir." She had expected this and as they walked to the transporter she related what had taken place, John nodding as he listened, but not interrupting the flow of words.

"Good work, Cadman," John said as soon as she'd finished then lapsed into silence until they reached the transporter and went their separate ways.

-------------

One of the nurse's had just changed Elizabeth into a set of scrubs when Beckett noticed she was awake.

"You're in the infirmary, love," Beckett told her softly as he saw the look of panic in her eyes. "You've got a few injuries but none of them are too serious, you should be right as rain in no time."

"Cold," she managed to stammer out, the panic subsiding at hearing the familiar voice but leaving her feeling confused and disoriented.

"You have a fever because of an infection in your hand. I'm going to clean it up now but I'm afraid it may hurt a little," Beckett said, taking the blanket offered by one of the nurses and draping it over her.

Elizabeth smiled at him vaguely, not really taking in the words and she was asleep by the time he started cleaning her hand, stirring a little as she felt the sting of the cleaning solution but not waking. Beckett finished up as quickly as he could before giving her an antibiotic shot and speaking quietly to the two night duty nurses.

"Monitor her responses every two hours to begin with, if everything is normal after after four hours, let her sleep through the rest of the night," Beckett instructed. "I'm going to check in with Colonel Sheppard then I'm going to head back to my quarters for a few hours rest but I want you to contact me if her condition changes. Good night."

As he headed towards his office, Beckett wasn't surprised to find an anxious Rodney sitting up in bed watching him like a hawk. He also wasn't surprised to find the rest of Atlantis's flagship team with him.

"Well?" Rodney demanded.

"You should be resting," Beckett scolded gently as he checked Rodney's chart before looking up to address his next remarks to the four of them. "Dr Weir has a mild concussion, her throat is quite badly bruised and will be sore for a few days and the burn on her hand has become infected but I've started her on a course of antibiotics. She's also physically and mentally exhausted and is suffering from shock."

"Cadman filled me in on the details of what happened after she left the library," John said, his face grim as he considered what might have happened. "But you still haven't told us what happened in the library, Rodney."

"Rodney should really be getting some rest right now," Beckett tried to protest, but he knew none of them would leave until they had the full story and waited patiently while Rodney related what had taken place.

"Elizabeth came in right after one of those lunatics shot me in the leg," Rodney began, his hands nervously plucking at the sheet, refusing to look up. "They wanted to know what we were doing there and how they could take the consoles back to their ship. They wouldn't understand that they couldn't be moved, that they wouldn't work anywhere else, so he shot me. Elizabeth had a gun and shot the one who shot me, then the other one hit her over the head and she passed out. I don't know how long she was out for but when she woke I could see her reaching for another gun she had hidden and she shot the one who was already injured. He wasn't able to do anything else but the other one…he just smiled at her before killing Dr Cartwright, taunting her. She told him to put his gun down but he fired again and hit one of the others so she shot him in the shoulder. He still wouldn't back down, she tried to make him give up but he wouldn't. He…he aimed for my head but kept looking at her, it was like he was daring her, he didn't believe she'd shoot him again. But she did, he was about to kill me and she shot him straight in the chest."

By the time he finished Rodney's voice was much higher than normal and he was gulping for air, visibly shaken.

"Ok, that's enough for tonight," Beckett said decisively as he reached into his pocket for a syringe that he proceeded to inject into Rodney's IV port. "That'll make sure you get a good night's sleep. The rest of you…scoot."

"What about Elizabeth's loss of memory?" John persisted in asking questions after Rodney's eyes had slid closed and his breathing evened out.

"That's most likely down to the shock, which is hardly surprising bearing in mind what we've just heard," Beckett told him, leading them away from the sleeping patients. "But I haven't had the opportunity to examine her mental state as yet – she woke up for a few moments just now but it's better that she rests for the time being. I'll carry out a more thorough examination tomorrow."

"Can we see her?" Teyla asked the question they were all thinking.

"Best not as she's resting comfortably and right now that's the best thing for her."

'"When will she get out of here?"

"It's hard to say. If everything goes well, she should be out of here in a few days and back on light duties in a week."

"A week?" John exclaimed, his concerns momentarily distracted from Elizabeth's wellbeing at the thought of running the city for that long.

"You will be fine," Teyla told him, smiling at his expression. "And I will be helping you, so that should make things a little easier."

"I guess," he sighed.

"Are things back to normal now?" Beckett asked a question of his own. He'd been tied up in the infirmary with a myriad injuries and hadn't had chance to check on what was happening in the rest of the city.

"We've got full control of the populated areas of the city and I've got men guarding all access points to them. We'll continue to sweep the rest of the city tomorrow to make sure there isn't anyone left out there when we've had some rest. We'll need to have somebody monitoring the sensors though in case anyone shows up in the unsecured areas – no sense in letting unauthorised personnel have access to the city if we can do something about it."

"That's good news," Beckett smiled wearily, longing for his bed. "I'm heading off to get some sleep – I suggest you all do the same." Beckett glared fiercely at them then walked with them towards the door. "Good night."

"Good night," John called after Beckett, turning to Ronon and Teyla as they made their way to the transporter. "I'm just going to take a quick look around, make sure everything's alright. You two carry on, I won't be too long myself."

"John," Teyla laid a hand on his arm, stopping him from walking away. "You mustn't blame yourself for any of this."

"Why would I blame myself?" John asked, his grim face giving away the reality of what he had been thinking. "She only had her first session on the firing range this morning – which I pushed her into – and a few hours later she ends up killing someone. I know she had to do it, but you know how she felt about using guns."

"If you had not insisted, the chances are both she and Dr McKay would be dead right now, along with all the others who were there."

"I know," John smiled weakly at her, beginning to feel a little better about it. "I guess I'm just tired and a bit stressed with everything that's going on. Thanks for the pep talk. Now, I'm going off to take that look around then I'm going to bed. Good night."

-------------

John had covered nearly three-quarters of his planned route, having a few quiet words with the SOs stationed at various intervals, nodding a greeting at the few personnel making their way back to their quarters and starting to relax as the pressures of the day began to ease considerably. He was still very much aware that he couldn't let down his guard yet, not that he ever really did unless he was unconscious or under the influence of some of Dr Beckett's more powerful medication.

His thoughts were beginning to turn to the pleasant prospect of his bed when a noise coming from around the next corner caught his attention. Instantly on the alert, John waited cautiously with his back against the wall for whoever was coming his way. When they eventually appeared, he was so surprised that he remained motionless for a few moments before approaching the new arrival.

"Elizabeth?" He addressed the figure wandering down the hallway dressed in red infirmary scrubs and barefoot. "Elizabeth?" He tried again when he got no reaction from her, not even to acknowledge his presence. Falling in to step with her, John took a good look at her, nodding his head in understanding as he noticed the glassy, unseeing eyes and blank expression on her face.

"Great," he rolled his eyes as he spoke into his radio, wondering how she'd managed to make it this far without being spotted by one of the security teams. "Infirmary, this is Sheppard, I think you might have misplaced one of your patients…That's the one, I'm with her right now, looks as though she's been sleepwalking…No, don't worry, I'll make sure she gets back to you – it's more or less on my way. Sheppard out."

Placing one hand on her back and the other at her elbow, John guided Elizabeth in the right direction, only exerting gentle pressure to keep her on the right track so she wasn't startled into waking suddenly – he'd seen other people woken abruptly when sleepwalking and they'd reacted with some violence. Admittedly, those people had been in the air force and seen a lot of combat, but he wasn't taking any chances with what she'd been through that day.

They were half way back to the infirmary when Elizabeth stopped without warning, glancing rapidly around her as though trying to get her bearings. Before he could say or do anything, Elizabeth twisted around, grabbed his 9mil from it's holster on his leg and backed away from him, aiming the weapon directly at him, a look of fear and determination on her face.

"Keep back, I won't let you hurt them any more," she told him in a fierce voice, the hand that held the gun shaking badly.

"Elizabeth, it's me - John," John tried to reason with her.

"No!" She snapped, her finger gripping the trigger. John could hear a click as she prepared to fire. "Don't make me do this," she pleaded with him. "Just put your gun down and give yourself up."

"Elizabeth," John took a step towards her, his hands held out in front of him, showing her they were empty. "I need you to listen. It's me, John. You've been sleepwalking and I was taking you back to the infirmary. Elizabeth, look at me." He achieved some level of success as recognition began to show on her face but then her eyes focussed on something behind him that startled her into tightening her finger on the trigger, the resulting shot hitting him and knocking him off his feet.

----------

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Part six**

Ronon, called away from his quarters to escort Dr Zelenka to the environmental controls, froze as he rounded a corner just in time to see Dr Weir shooting Colonel Sheppard. Watching as Weir turned to aim the gun vaguely in their direction, Ronon pushed Zelenka behind him and back around the corner out of harms way.

"Dr Weir," Ronon said firmly as he placed his own weapons down on the ground in front of him and took a couple of steps forward. "You need to hand me the gun. Sheppard is injured and we have to help him." As he spoke, he continued to move forward slowly and steadily until he was able to reach out a hand to take the weapon from the unresisting Elizabeth. As she relinquished the gun, a look of horror appeared on her face as she realised for the first time what she had just done.

"Oh god, did I do that? I've shot him! What have I done?" She looked pleadingly from Ronon to John, wanting to be told that she hadn't just shot the ranking military officer.

"It's not too bad," John told her through gritted teeth. He was half lying against the wall, Dr Zelenka hovering nervously beside him. "It was an accident, I'll be fine."

"But…" Elizabeth tried to protest, but was interrupted by Ronon who had been talking on his radio.

"Help's on the way," he announced, when, for the second time that day, he found himself catching Elizabeth as she passed out.

"How…is…she?" John struggled to get the words out as pain and loss of blood made his eyesight blur and his head spin, paying no attention to Zelenka who was fussing over him, trying to stem the bleeding.

"The fever's worse," Ronon told him briefly.

"That's not good." John's words were beginning to slur together and he closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open any longer but still conscious enough to be aware of what was going on and to hear the arrival of the medical teams. Over everything else that was going on, he could clearly hear Dr Beckett, issuing orders before appearing beside John.

"What's been going on here?" Carson demanded even as he was rapidly checking John's vitals and the severity of his wound, nodding at the medical team to get him on the gurney without delay.

"Weir shot Sheppard," Ronon brought Beckett up to speed on events in his usual succinct manner. "Then she passed out."

"I see," was all Carson said as he checked Elizabeth quickly before allowing her to be loaded on to the second gurney.

As the first team were in the process of moving John, Carson became aware of a disturbance coming from Sheppard's direction. "Colonel? You have to let us take care of you. We need to get you to the infirmary."

"Make sure she's alright," John was losing his fight to stay conscious, only his need to make sure Elizabeth wasn't blamed for this incident keeping him awake.

"She'll be looked after, you don't have to worry about that," Carson assured him, patting his arm and indicating for the team to start making their way to the infirmary, sighing as he realised his second patient was also giving them trouble. Elizabeth had started to come round to find herself being lifted by strange hands.

"It's alright," Carson caught her attention, patting her arm and making sure she could see his face clearly. "They're just trying to help. They're taking you back to the infirmary." Elizabeth visibly relaxed at these words and calmed down enough to be transported.

"Will he be ok?" Elizabeth asked him, her voice barely audible, an expression he couldn't quite place in her eyes.

"It's not as bad as it looks, he should be up and about in no time," Carson told her. "Just take it easy and we'll do all the hard work." Sighing with relief, Elizabeth closed her eyes and lost consciousness again.

---------------

Carson rubbed his face with both hands tiredly as he surveyed the now quiet infirmary. He'd only managed to get a couple of hours sleep before he'd received the call that there was a medical emergency. Finding Colonel Sheppard with a bullet wound wasn't too much of a surprise - the man had a knack for finding trouble, whether here on Atlantis or off-world. On the other hand, discovering Elizabeth was also involved was extremely surprising, particularly as he'd thought she was safely in the infirmary, and then he'd found out that she was the one who had shot Sheppard.

Major Lorne had been notified of the incident – as second in command of the military on Atlantis there had been no choice. Teyla had also been informed and she and Lorne had arrived in the infirmary at the same time where they, with Ronon who had arrived as soon as Dr Zelenka had finished repairing the environmental systems, had been waiting for Beckett to let them know how John and Dr Weir were doing. The wait seemed to last forever until Dr Beckett appeared, shadows under his eyes and his hair sticking up as he wearily sat down on an empty chair.

"Colonel Sheppard is resting comfortably," Carson informed them. "He lost some blood but fortunately the bullet hit him in the shoulder and hasn't caused any serious damage. Knowing the Colonel, he'll be back on his feet in a few days although he'll be off active duty for several weeks. Dr Weir has a high fever, but we're monitoring her closely and we'd already started her on antibiotics before the infection had chance to fully take hold."

"What about the sleepwalking?" Lorne asked. "Is it likely to happen again?"

"It's hard to say. I suspect the sleepwalking is a direct result of what she experienced today, although she appears to have no conscious memory of it," Carson frowned as he said this, already considering the possible fallout from the day's events.

"I'd like to post a guard outside the infirmary," Lorne said firmly, though he looked a little nervous at making the suggestion, going on to explain further. "Whatever the reason for it, I don't think we want Dr Weir wandering around Atlantis under present circumstances. If she does start sleepwalking again, we can at least make sure she doesn't get very far."

"It's not a bad idea," Carson agreed, seeing the relieved look on Lorne's as he supported the proposed plan. He too had been concerned and there was always a possibility that a medical emergency would distract the infirmary staff. "But make sure they stay outside and let one of my staff know if she does start to wander. Who's taking charge of things while Colonel Sheppard and Dr Weir are out of action?" This had just occurred to him, in fact, with Rodney also in the infirmary, Atlantis was left leaderless.

"I will oversee the running of the City," Teyla told him, "with assistance from Major Lorne and Sergeant Read – he is the one most familiar with the day to day running of things."

"I'll be taking care of the military side and Dr Zelenka will take charge of the science departments," Lorne told him. "We'll be restricting all non-essential off-world missions for the time being, and once we're sure we've got control of the city back again, then we should be able to take care of everything between us."

"In that case, you should all probably get some sleep – you've got a busy time coming up and you'll need all the rest you can get. Good night."

As the temporary leaders of Atlantis left the infirmary, Carson carried out a final check of his patients before leaving the infirmary for the second time that night, hoping to catch another couple of hours sleep before he returned to duty in the morning.

------------

"How are you feeling?" Carson asked as he was checking Elizabeth, noticing her open her eyes and focus on her surroundings for the first time in three days.

"Hurts to breathe." Elizabeth managed to get out. "What's going on?"

"You developed pneumonia and you've had a pretty high temperature for a few days," Carson said, helping her sit up so he could listen to her lungs. "Thankfully your temperature has more or less returned to normal but I'm afraid it'll take time to get over this. There's some improvement in your lungs so we can continue to treat it with antibiotics.' Beckett allowed her to rest back against the pillows, panting with the effort.

"How long have I been here?"

"You've spent the best part of three days asleep."

"Oh." Elizabeth closed her eyes, worn out by this simple exchange. After a few moments, she opened them again. "When can I get out of here?"

"Not until you're back on your feet," Carson told her apologetically. "In a day or two we'll try to get you up for a short while, but it will take time before you're ready to leave."

Before Elizabeth could respond, her eyes fell on Colonel Sheppard who had just arrived, his arm in a sling. Her face turned even paler than it already was as she recalled the terrible nightmares she'd been having.

"Elizabeth," he greeted her with one of his lopsided grins, suspecting he knew the reason for her shocked expression. "It's about time you woke up. How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth stared at him, speechless for a moment, before she managed to stammer out a few words.

"You're injured…How…What happened?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"It was an accident," John told her airily, waving his uninjured arm in the air, dismissing the incident. "Nothing to worry about. Doc wanted to take a look at it though, so here I am."

"But it was just a dream." Elizabeth's voice could barely be heard. "I dreamt it. It couldn't have happened. I…I didn't…it was just a dream." As she talked, her face became flushed and she began to have trouble breathing, her weakened lungs fighting to take in much needed air.

"Doc!" John called urgently. "What's going on?"

"Elizabeth, I need you to take some slow, deep breaths," Carson spoke calmly, trying to reassure her. "You need to settle down or you're going to make yourself much worse. Sarah!" He called out to the nurse who must have read his mind as she came hurrying forward with a syringe that he snatched from her hand and rapidly injected into Elizabeth's IV port. Within seconds, Elizabeth's body relaxed as the sedative took effect and she drifted off into unconsciousness.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Physically, yes," Carson told him. "Emotionally – well that's a whole different story. Now, this way and let me take a look at that shoulder."

----------

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it's been so long between updates…most of this is already written, it just needs editing before it's ready for posting. Enjoy._

**Part seven**

Rodney was grumbling to the nurse who had brought him his lunch, grumbling to Beckett whenever he walked by and grumbling to anyone who got close enough to be grumbled at. John, stopping by to see how Rodney was doing, stood just inside the infirmary doors watching with amusement as McKay drove everyone to distraction before striding forward to relieve the tension he could sense beginning to build. From experience, John knew that Rodney would be released from the infirmary very soon now. Although he always seemed to appreciate the attention from the medical staff, when he'd been prevented from getting on with his work for too long he became extremely difficult to manage, particularly as his health improved.

"So you decided to honour with me your presence then," Rodney greeted John with a glare.

"Well, if you feel like that about it…" John began, turning to walk away, a grin on his face as he heard a distinct change in tone.

"Ok, ok, you win," Rodney sighed, becoming a little more reasonable. Sheppard had carried out his threat to leave in the past and it did get very boring when all you could do was lie around all day, resting and recovering.'

"So, anything interesting going on?"

"No, just the same old, same old," John told him as he perched on one of the infirmary chairs. "Stackhouse's team returned from an unsuccessful trade mission this morning," he finally relented seeing the petulant look on Rodney's face. "Very unsuccessful – I can't wait to read his mission report. They were all covered from head to toe in some kind of animal waste. We had to clear the halls between the 'gate room and their quarters to prevent anyone else throwing up – three of the technicians had to be replaced as it was."

"I thought they seemed a little subdued when they came in for their post-mission check-ups – and they did look very clean, come to think of it," Rodney grinned, boredom having taken a back seat for the time being.

"So when do you get out of here?"

"That should be in a couple of days," Carson told him as he appeared at that moment, picking up Rodney's chart and studying it for a few moments.

"And not before time" Rodney snapped irritably, responding to his prospective release from the infirmary. "I mean Zelenka's ok but leaving him in charge for too long…I'm dreading to think what a mess everything will be in by the time I do get back to work."

"I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Rodney," Carson tried to reassure him. "Radek is doing a very good job of keeping things running smoothly."

"What would you know?" Rodney huffed.

"It's good to see you're feeling better," John grinned as he stood to leave. "I'll see you later."

------------

"So, how are you doing today?"

Elizabeth looked up from the book she was failing to read as Dr Beckett appeared beside her.

"Not too bad," she responded automatically. "I'll be glad to get out of here tomorrow."

"Aye, I get that a lot," Carson sighed, looking a little put out before grinning at her. "Don't forget you have to take things easy still, and you're not to do any work for a few days until I give you the all clear. How are the nightmares?"

"They're not so bad now," Elizabeth admitted. "Dr Heightmeyer thinks they're connected with my loss of memory, that it's all buried in my head somewhere and sooner or later I'll remember everything."

"You don't seem very happy about that."

"I'm not." Elizabeth frowned. "Judging by the dreams I've been having I don't think I want to remember, but I guess it's the only way I'm ever going to be able to put all this behind me. Having almost a whole day wiped out of your memory is a really unpleasant feeling."

"I can imagine but you need to keep going with your sessions with Dr Heightmeyer," Carson counselled. "Now, you're looking tired again, I'll leave you to get some rest."

---------------

Four days after being released from the infirmary Elizabeth was making her way to the mess hall for lunch. Dr Beckett had said she could return to work for a few hours each morning providing she didn't overdo it, took things easy during her non-working hours and went to the infirmary for regular check-ups.

John and Teyla were helping out with much of the administration of the city and so far she was pleased with what they had done, although like herself, John was under doctor's orders not to overdo things until he too was fully healed.

"You know, I half expected to come back and find you'd changed everything," Elizabeth admitted as she walked with John and Teyla to the mess hall.

"I'm hurt," John grinned at her. "You've had regular updates and you didn't really think we'd make any major changes did you?"

"I did wonder what might have gone on in my absence."

"It is alright, Elizabeth," Teyla spoke up. "I made sure Colonel Sheppard's more – unusual -suggestions were not acted upon."

"What suggestions?" Elizabeth's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Well, he suggested that as it was coming up to Christmas on your world, all personnel should wear festive costumes and seemed insistent that we find something called mistletoe to hang everywhere," Teyla told her innocently, ignoring John's glares.

"I see," Elizabeth said coldly, staring at John whose face was rapidly turning a bright shade of red. "Anything else I need to know about?"

"There were one or two other minor suggestions, but for the most part I made sure we acted as you would have done," Teyla assured her.

"And you've done a wonderful job, Teyla," Elizabeth thanked the Athosian leader. "I have to admit I was worrying about what I'd need to catch up on, but I see I needn't have been concerned after all."

"Hey, what about me? Didn't I do a good job too?" John protested, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"I'll let you know when I've managed to catch up with all my e-mails," Elizabeth told him, her face serious before she grinned impishly at him. "Besides, you've only been helping out for a couple of days – I suspect Major Lorne and Sergeant Read have had more to do with helping Teyla than you have."

"That is true," John admitted, being more than grateful to those named for doing a good job.

They each grabbed what they wanted from the food selection on offer before heading for one of the tables by the window where they were joined a few minutes later by Rodney and Ronon. Ronon dropped a tray on the table in front of Rodney before returning for his own lunch.

"Sit down already," John said, sounding exasperated as Rodney managed to make a lot of fuss about getting settled down at the table, still struggling to manage with his crutches.

"Using these things isn't as easy as it looks," Rodney growled, glaring at John as he paused in his attempt to sit down.

"It's not that hard," John told him, "at least it's not if you pay attention to what the nurses tell you about how to use them."

"That's easy for you to say," Rodney said as he managed to sit down at last and began to shovel his food down as though it would get away from him if he left it a moment longer.

"Don't wait for me," Ronon rumbled good-naturedly as he sat himself down and started on his own food, glancing around at his companions to see what they were eating. As his eyes fell on Elizabeth he stopped eating for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he realised something was wrong, something that the others hadn't picked up on yet.

The leader of Atlantis had turned pale, her eyes darting from McKay and Sheppard to the military personnel on the next table. Looking over at them himself, he recognised Lorne and Cadman along with several others whose names he didn't know, but remembered them as being with Dr Weir when he and Sheppard had found them after the incident with the intruders in the City. He returned his gaze to Dr Weir's face, unsurprised when she got to her feet abruptly and turned to leave.

"Elizabeth?" John looked up at her, his eyes narrowing in concern as he realised she wasn't looking too well.

"Excuse me," she spoke quickly and nervously, not at all her usually confident self. "I'm feeling kind of tired, I think I'll lie down for a while."

Before anyone could get up to follow she was gone, leaving the others looking around at each for some kind of explanation.

"What's going on?" John asked, staring at Ronon who was sitting there, nodding to himself. "You know something don't you?"

"I don't _know _anything," Ronon emphasised the word know. "But I think she may have remembered what happened to her."

"How can you know that?"

"Like I said, I don't know for definite," Ronon reminded him. "But her eyes showed she had remembered something when she saw you and McKay, and Lorne and the others on the next table."

"Yes, that would probably do it," John agreed, realising the connection at last. "I guess she hasn't seen us all together since then. I'm going to check she's alright."

"Let us know if we can help," Teyla added before he left. By the time she'd finished her lunch and returned to Elizabeth's office, she found John already there. "How was she?"

"I'm not sure," John frowned as he flicked through the files on his lap. "She was in her quarters and didn't really want to talk, said she wanted time to think."

"I can understand that," Teyla tried to reassure him. "She lost nearly a day and her memories returning suddenly must be overwhelming."

"I guess," John said. "I'll drop by later with something for her to eat, maybe – she didn't exactly have much for lunch."

"That sounds like a good idea."

------------

The next day Elizabeth returned to work for the morning as usual, refusing to discuss what had happened and burying herself in her work. During the afternoons and evenings, when Dr Beckett said she wasn't to work and had to relax, she took refuge in her room catching up on some reading or walking in some of the more remote parts of the city where she didn't run the risk of bumping into anyone.

What she was unaware of was that after he'd been unable to locate her to drag her to dinner one evening, John had set Ronon to keeping an eye on her when she left her quarters, alerted to this by Rodney who was keeping an eye on the sensors, watching for when she left her room.

"I don't think you need to follow Dr Weir any more," John told Ronon at dinner several days after Elizabeth regained her memory. "It appears she's got some kind of routine on where she goes, mostly to grounding station 3."

"Really?" Rodney looked up in surprise at this news. Once Elizabeth had left her room and Ronon had picked up her trail, he didn't look at the sensors and had no idea where she had ended up. "Why on earth would she want to go there of all places?" Memories of the attempted takeover of Atlantis by Kolya and his strike force came flooding back at the thought of the grounding station.

"I have no idea," John admitted. "But I am kind of worried about her – she won't talk to anyone and the longer it goes on…"

"I thought I'd find you here," Carson interrupted before John could continue, no hint of his normally friendly smile on his face. "I was looking for Dr Weir."

"Why?" John was immediately on full alert.

"She was supposed to see me today for a check up but she didn't turn up. She also missed her appointment with Dr Heightmeyer."

"When did you last see her?"

"A couple of days ago, why?"

"She had her memory jogged the other day at lunch and she's been pretty quiet ever since," John said.

"Why is the first I've heard about this?"

"I thought she'd tell you," John admitted, realising he should have mentioned it himself, should have known the way Elizabeth was behaving wasn't entirely rational. "She isn't in her quarters?"

"She was right before we came here," Rodney said.

"And how would you know that?" Carson looked puzzled.

"Sheppard thought it would be a good idea if we kept tabs on her," Rodney shrugged as though this were the most normal thing in the world. "He's been getting Ronon to keep an eye on her when she left her room."

"So you're not entirely stupid then," Carson told them scathingly.

"If I thought she needed to see you I would have said something," John snapped at him. "In fact, if this had gone on much longer I was going to come and see you. She said she wanted some time to think things through and I respected that, but not to the extent that I would risk her health."

"I'm sorry," Carson apologised, his voice quiet. "I'm just worried about her."

"I know, we all are," John calmed down again, knowing the doctor's irritation was due to genuine concern for their leader. "I've got a pretty good idea where she'll be, but just in case, why don't we all check one of her favourite haunts." Rapidly they agreed the area each would search and they separated, Rodney returning to the control room to try to pick her out on the sensors.

John was half way to the grounding station, the furthest location Elizabeth had gone to in her wanderings, when he began to get reports in from the others that she wasn't at the other locations checked. By the time he'd received the last report, he knew she must be at the grounding station.

"It'll be pretty cold outside by now so you may want to bring some blankets with you," John said. There was no point suggesting they wait for him to bring her back, he knew without asking that they would be making their way to the grounding station as quickly as they could. Instead, he hurried his own pace, jogging to reach his destination as rapidly as possible.

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_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Part eight**

She was leaning against the railings and gazing out to sea, oblivious to his presence. Pushing back the unpleasant memories associated with this part of the city, John moved to stand beside Elizabeth, remaining silent for a while before speaking.

"Interesting place to visit," he said quietly, watching Elizabeth carefully.

"I thought it might help me see things in perspective," Elizabeth admitted, her voice hard and cold. "I was hoping to get some time alone to think." She glared at him as he refused to take the not-so-subtle hint and continued to stand there staring out at the water, but just because he was there, didn't mean she needed to talk so she fell silent, trying to ignore his presence.

John let the silence continue for a while before trying again.

"It's some view isn't it?" John said, noting how Elizabeth appeared to be mesmerised by the sight of the sea, her features and expression softened considerably from how they had been a few minutes ago.

Elizabeth sighed and nodded before dropping her head into her hands, unable to put off facing up to her demons any longer but unwilling to break down in front of someone else. "I'm fine, really." Elizabeth's voice was weary, trying to convince herself as much as John. "I just need time to think, to get things straight in my head. You don't need to stay, really."

"Yes I do," John contradicted her. "We're friends aren't we? And friends help each other out when one of them is having a tough time. Yes, I know you consider yourself to be invulnerable, as a leader should be, but you're not. You've had a tough time that you haven't had chance to face up to yet, and I know you. Given half a chance you'll try to forget it ever happened and that is the worst thing you could do – believe me, I know."

This had hit a little too close to home, but even now Elizabeth wasn't ready to open up to anyone, even one of her closest friends. "Look, I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate your concern, but right now, I really need to be alone." She tried to keep her voice calm and controlled, but the last few words revealed the inner trauma she was experiencing and she realised if she didn't leave now, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from losing control of her emotions. She turned to leave only to find John blocking her route at every turn, preventing her from going anywhere.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Elizabeth snapped. "Get out of my way."

"No." John spoke just the one word and stopped Elizabeth in her tracks. "I know you're having a hard time dealing with all this, but you're not thinking very clearly right now and you're going to end up making yourself sick if you don't face up to it."

"And you'd know, of course," Elizabeth shouted at him angrily, almost beyond caring at this point and her voice continued to get louder as she carried on. "I killed a man, two people died because of me and I shot two others – including yourself. What kind of a leader does that make me? I've turned into some kind of monster and it's much better if I don't have anything to do with other people. I…I…don't know…I don't think…"

"Sit," John told Elizabeth firmly, grasping her arm and making her sit down on the steps. "Now listen." John stood in front of her and made sure she was paying attention before he continued. "I know what it's like to kill, but I've been trained to handle it and I'll only do it if I have to. You were shown how to fire a gun in order to defend yourself and that's exactly what you did. No, listen." John held up his hand to stop Elizabeth from saying anything. "You disabled the first intruder and you tried the same tactic with the second one, but it didn't work. He shot several of the hostages before he killed Dr Cartwright. What happened next?"

"I killed him," Elizabeth whispered, shuddering as she talked about her memories for the first time. "I shot him and he died."

"What do you think would have happened if you hadn't killed him?" John asked, not really expecting an answer right now but wanting to get her thinking the situation through more clearly on her own.

"Dr Carmichael died because of me." Elizabeth had forced herself into a corner – she was blaming herself because she killed the intruder and blaming herself for not killing him sooner, before he could kill Dr Carmichael.

"And how do you think you'd be feeling right now if you'd killed that man without good cause?"

John could see how exhausted Elizabeth was, her head had dropped as though it were too heavy to hold upright, but he wasn't done yet, knowing that she needed to face up to everything she had been through.

"Later, when you were trapped on the south-east pier," John continued, moving to lean back against the railing and facing Elizabeth so he could watch her reactions, judging whether or not he had pushed her too far. "Major Lorne tells me you got yourself free from one of the intruders."

"I was so angry," Elizabeth looked up at him, her eyes blazing as she recalled how she had felt. "One of his friends had killed a member of my team and injured the others, I wasn't thinking very clearly and just acted on instinct."

"I think you gave Lorne a bit of a fright," John told her, smiling for a moment. "He described you as a wild animal – he was afraid you'd turn on him or one of his men before you'd realised who they were."

Elizabeth returned the smile, although it didn't quite reach her eyes John felt he was getting somewhere and pressed his advantage, confident that the smile would soon disappear with his next comment.

"And then he took you hostage again," John told her bluntly.

"I thought he was going to kill me," Elizabeth's voice was barely a whisper now, her face showing the terror she had felt at the time. "But Major Lorne…"

"Major Lorne did what had to be done," John filled in for her.

"If I'd only been paying more attention," Elizabeth stammered out, her grip on her emotions rapidly failing now as for the first time she really thought about what had happened and the implications of the events.

"It wasn't your fault." John realised that they had nearly reached the point at which he would have pushed her far enough. "Based on what you had seen of these people, do you really think this man would have settled for remaining captive? Lorne knew what he had to do, and he did it because he's been trained to, the same as I and the other military personnel have."

"Why did you have to do this?" Elizabeth looked up at him, her voice hard and unforgiving as she realised what Sheppard had been doing, feeling herself to be barely in control of her emotions now and not wanting to break down in front of him. "I came here because I needed some space, to get away from everyone. I thought if I could just forget it ever happened, it would all just fade away. I just want to be left alone." Her voice had subsided to a whisper as the tears began to fall and she buried her face in her hands, refusing to look up at John and jerking away sharply when she felt his hand on her shoulder. A few moments later, another voice broke in on her thoughts, talking with a different level of understanding from that which John had been using, one that broke down her resistance. Unable to help herself, she began to let go of the horror and pain she had been experiencing.

-------------

"We are your friends," Teyla's voice was calm as she pulled Elizabeth into a hug, understanding the other woman's reluctance to show what she considered to be weakness in front of the others, but knowing that as a leader herself, Teyla was the right person to help Elizabeth now. "I know you are worried about appearing weak in front of your people, but we are here to help you and I can assure you that this will not go any further. It is not a sign of weakness to accept help when you most need it, and we will all do what we can to help you through this."

"It's not just that," Elizabeth admitted softly, finding that for the first time she felt able to talk about what was really on her mind. "I don't think I can do this any more."

"Do what?" Teyla asked, feeling a shiver down her spine as she thought she knew what Elizabeth meant.

"Be in Atlantis, to carry on doing what I have been doing – I'm not sure I've got what it takes any more." Now it was in the open, Elizabeth felt cold and empty and she couldn't understand why.

"We need you here, Elizabeth," John crouched down beside the two women, his hand warm and comforting on Elizabeth's shoulder. "And I don't only mean those who are here right now, but everyone in Atlantis. You understand what's needed, you've been able to integrate the scientists and the military so everything works smoothly, you trust us to do what has to be done and without you, everything would just fall apart."

"You seem to be managing well enough without me."

"Don't let appearances deceive you," Rodney joined in, sitting awkwardly on the step, easing his injured leg into a comfortable position. "We're keeping things ticking over but things just aren't the same without you – you're the glue that keeps us all together and if you weren't around, I suspect a lot of other people wouldn't want to stay either. You are what Atlantis stands for and who will keep Sheppard under control if you don't?"

Elizabeth smiled weakly at this but her eyes were still shadowed as she looked around at the people who meant the most to her.

"I've been thinking," Carson said, his eyes drifting towards the ocean and the invisible mainland that housed the Athosian settlement.

"What have you come up with?" Rodney sounded extremely wary.

"While you're here," Carson continued, ignoring Rodney and addressing his comments to Elizabeth, kneeling in front of her to make sure she was listening. "Even while you've been on light duties, everyone looks to you for leadership and that can be very wearing. What you need is to get away from your responsibilities completely for a while, give yourself chance to put things in perspective."

"If I go back home they may not let me return," Elizabeth looked at him doubtfully. Although she had been thinking about leaving, she wasn't prepared for someone else to make the decision for her.

"I wasn't going to suggest that," Carson hastened to reassure her, almost relieved that her departure wasn't a done deal yet. "I was thinking about the mainland."

"My people would be glad to welcome you," Teyla smiled at Elizabeth. "You have done so much for them, they would be pleased to be able to repay the debt."

"I…well…" Elizabeth stammered the words out as this solution had never even occurred to her and she was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight anyway. "I think I'd like that," she managed to get out at last, feeling as though a weight had lifted and all of a sudden, life didn't seem quite so bleak any more. As though to reinforce this, the moon began to rise at that moment blanketing them all in it's white light.

"That's settled then. I suggest you go pack a few things," John said to Elizabeth before turning to Teyla. "Could you contact the settlement to let them know what's happening?"

Giving her no time to reconsider, Carson whisked Elizabeth off to the infirmary for another check up and to provide her with a list of dos and don'ts while she was away, a copy of which he fully intended to hand to Halling to make sure she followed his instructions. Exhausted by the emotional trauma she had been through, Elizabeth was escorted to her quarters by Ronon where Teyla was waiting.

"Halling sends you greetings and is looking forward to your visit," Teyla told her. "Now, what are you going to be taking with you?" Bemused at the speed with which events were happening, Elizabeth allowed Teyla to assist her with packing and before long everything was ready, leaving her only to get a good night's sleep.

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_To be continued – the whumping hasn't quite finished yet!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Part nine**

"Liz'beth!" A child's voice called out a greeting as soon as Elizabeth stepped out of the 'jumper on the mainland the following morning.

"Mya, it's good to see you – how are you?" Elizabeth greeted the little girl Colonel Sheppard had rescued when the rest of her people had been killed several months ago.

"I'm well, thank you," Mya replied as she gave Elizabeth a hug before beaming up at her. "Halling told me you were coming and he said I should help to make sure everything was ready for you. This way." Eagerly she grabbed Elizabeth's hand and began to tug her towards the settlement but a movement from the 'jumper caught her attention and for a moment Mya stood still before an ever broader smile crossed her face and she raced towards the 'jumper, all thoughts of Elizabeth gone from her mind for the moment.

"John!" She squealed, even louder than she had greeted Elizabeth, launching herself at Colonel Sheppard who had waited until now to reveal his presence, guessing correctly the reaction he'd get. Just in time, Mya pulled up short as she noticed the sling John was wearing, her face changing from joy to concern. "You're hurt."

"I had an accident," John hurried to reassure her, knowing Mya would worry until she knew it wasn't serious. "But it's healing well and Dr Beckett says I'll be able to get rid of the bandage in a few more days."

Mya nodded, the smile returning to her face as she grabbed hold of John's free hand and tugged him to where Elizabeth was now talking to Halling.

"Colonel, it is good to see you again," Halling welcomed him, a smile on his face. "Will you be staying? I know Mya would love to have you spend some time with us."

"Sorry, I have to get back," John said apologetically. "But I will be coming to spend a few days with you in a couple of weeks."

"You have time for some tea before you leave?" Halling offered, his keen eyes spotting Mya's disappointed face at learning John couldn't stay this time.

"Sure," John smiled and accepted the offer, turning to summon Lt Barlow, the 'jumper pilot, to join them.

While John, Barlow and Halling made their way to the communal area where they would share tea with any of the other Athosians who were nearby, Mya grabbed Elizabeth's hand and tugged her towards the accommodation that had been made ready for her.

"This is lovely," Elizabeth exclaimed with genuine pleasure as she surveyed the room. The bed was made up with crisp, fresh bedding and there were a couple of chairs arranged around a low table on which stood a bowl of flowers and foliage that filled the room with a fragrance that was impossible to describe. All Elizabeth knew was that it felt like she had come home and she could feel the cares and worries that had been filling her mind starting to slip away.

"Some of the other children helped me find the flowers," Mya told her eagerly, responding to Elizabeth's positive reaction. "They don't have any special healing powers but they always make me feel better whenever I feel sad." Elizabeth hugged the little girl, knowing she still mourned for her parents, then the moment passed as Jinto poked his head in to tell them the tea was ready.

The hour spent sitting around the fire drinking tea and exchanging news passed all too quickly. On returning to the others, Mya had immediately gone to John and made herself comfortable on his lap, the two of them talking quietly, oblivious to what was going on around them. Elizabeth smiled at the sight, the smile not quite reaching her eyes Halling noticed as he continued to update her on the progress they had made in establishing themselves more fully on the mainland.

It was a reluctant Lt Barlow who made the first move, glancing at his watch as he realised they should have left for the return journey ten minutes ago.

"Sir?" Barlow managed to attract John's attention, Mya clinging to his neck and giving him a big hug before reluctantly scrambling down and watching as the two men made their way back to the 'jumper, comforted a little as Elizabeth put an arm around her shoulders.

Elizabeth spent the rest of the morning exploring the area immediately surrounding the mainland, realising that in all the time they had been here, she had never really had the opportunity to be by herself like this. The fresh air, the sound of birds singing and the smells coming from the settlement and the countryside fully occupied her senses and she returned for lunch feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time.

In fact, she was feeling so relaxed that after eating the simple meal she accepted Halling's suggestion that she lie down afterwards and slept soundly for two hours. When she woke she was feeling much refreshed and willingly worked alongside those preparing the evening meal, listening to the chatter for the most part but occasionally joining in the conversation.

By the end of the first day, Elizabeth knew that within a few days she would be more than ready to return to her duties on Atlantis, but for now she was content to adapt to this much simpler life that reminded her of the importance of the work she usually did.

------------

During the night, Elizabeth was woken by excruciating stomach cramps that had her leaping out of bed and reaching for the nearest receptacle before she was violently sick. She sank to the floor as soon as she was done, feeling beads of moisture that had formed on her forehead in response to whatever this bug was. Feeling a little better after a few minutes, Elizabeth dragged herself back to bed and fell asleep once more, not waking until the sun was high in the sky.

Surprised at how weak she was feeling, Elizabeth was even more surprised to find no-one else around. Growing concerned, Elizabeth headed for Halling's dwelling hoping to find some answers there but was accosted on the way by Jinto, Mya and a large group of children.

"Everyone is sick," Jinto told her, his face reflecting the fear that she could now see in all their faces. "Father was ill during the night and this morning I could not wake him. It is the same with most of the others."

"And none of you were affected at all?" Elizabeth asked, her own concern growing as she heard this news.

"Most of us were sick a little but now we are feeling much better."

"Is there anyone who can tell me what's going on?" Elizabeth surveyed the faces in front of her, knowing she had to show strength and confidence to them.

"Cristyn told me what we should do," Mya told her, grasping one of Elizabeth's hands for reassurance. "But then she fell asleep and won't wake either."

"Everything's going to be fine," Elizabeth tried to sound as though she were completely in control. "While Jinto takes me to see his father, the rest of you can start to prepare a meal and tend the animals until I get back."

Given something to do, the children seemed much happier and Elizabeth waited a few moments to make sure everyone was happily occupied, or supervised in the case of the smaller ones, before following Jinto to Halling's dwelling.

"Halling?" Elizabeth knelt beside the low bed where he was lying, his eyes closed, his face pale and beaded with sweat. She checked his pulse, finding it to be very rapid and weak but received no reaction from him at all. She shook him gently by the shoulder to try to rouse him, but only received a groan of pain by way of response and no indication that he knew she was there.

Standing up, Elizabeth felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and she leant heavily against a nearby table until the feeling passed, relieved that Jinto hadn't noticed her momentary weakness and made her way outside leaving Jinto wiping his father's hands and face with a damp cloth.

"Atlantis, this is Weir," she spoke into her radio as she returned to her own room. "We have a medical situation here and request urgent assistance."

"What is the nature of the situation?" Teyla's voice was calm and reassuring and allowed Elizabeth to regain her composure.

"Most of the Athosian population have been affected by severe stomach pains and sickness," Elizabeth reported. "The children have mostly escaped the illness and are helping out."

"Elizabeth, this is Carson," the familiar Scottish voice announced its presence. "Have you any idea what caused it?"

"I'm afraid not," Elizabeth frowned as she tried to think what could have affected everyone other than her and most of the children since last night. "How soon before you can get here?"

"A triage team is preparing as we speak," Carson told her. "They'll be ready to leave in ten minutes so we should be there within forty minutes."

"I look forward to your arrival," Elizabeth said with some relief now she knew she had less than an hour to cope with the current situation.

"What about you," John's voice broke in at that moment. "Were you affected?"

"Yes, but my symptoms were pretty mild compared to the others and I'm more or less alright again now." Elizabeth glanced behind her and saw a number of children were gathered outside her quarters, dragging her attention back to the present situation. "I'll see you in forty minutes then."

"Ok, this is what we're going to do," Elizabeth had gone outside to the waiting children. "Help is on the way, but after we've eaten we'll need to take care of those who are ill. I'm going to divide you into teams – Jinto, you take charge of the group looking after the little ones. Mya – find those who know about healing and make sure you have everything Cristyn said you'd need and Kalen isn't it?" Elizabeth smiled at the eldest girl of the group in front of her. "You and everyone who is older than Jinto will be responsible for checking on those who are sick and making sure they are comfortable for now."

Relieved to have something definite to do, the children ate their meal quickly then divided into their groups, with a certain amount of switching between the groups until everyone was in the right place and they set about their tasks. Soon the encampment was a hive of activity and Elizabeth took the brief period of respite to gather her thoughts and try to shake the tiredness that was threatening to take over.

A few minutes later, she made her way among the happily occupied children to check that all was well. Half of the healing group were preparing the ingredients that Cristyn had directed them to use, the other half were collecting the items that were missing or in short supply. Jinto's group were either tending to the fires and boiling the water that would be needed to make the medicines currently being prepared - under the watchful eye of a handful of children around Jinto's age - or collecting firewood to keep the fires going. The eldest group had the hardest task but they went about their work without complaining, changing soiled bedding and clothing and persuading those able to do so to drink a little of the medicine that was already prepared.

As she left the last group, she glanced at her watch, surprised at how quickly the time had flown and hurried towards the usual landing site, her ears trying to pick up the familiar hum of a 'jumper's engine.

-----------

"What's the hold up?" John demanded when the selected personnel had been sitting ready in the 'jumper bay for a few minutes.

"The doors won't open sir," Lt Browning reported with a frown.

"What do you mean they won't open? Are you sure you're giving the right command?" John couldn't help but be suspicious of this newly arrived pilot – it took time to become fully conversant with the 'jumper technology and he wondered if that was the problem. "Let me try."

The young lieutenant gladly gave way to his CO, and it was with a certain sense of relief that he too failed to get the doors to open, mingled with concern regarding the urgency of this mission.

"Rodney, I need you to get someone up to the 'jumper bay immediately," John snapped into his radio.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be long gone by now?" Rodney sounded surprised.

"That's the problem – we can't get out," John tried to remain patient, finding it exceedingly hard under the circumstances, but the news got Rodney moving faster than he would have thought possible.

"Zelenka's on his way with Dr Newman," Rodney could be heard clicking his fingers in the background, for once receiving no backchat from his fellow scientists. "I'll go to the control room and see what I can do from there."

Half an hour later brought no good news as the senior members of the Atlantis expedition congregated in Elizabeth's office.

"We have no idea what is causing the malfunction," Zelenka reported, pushing his glasses up his nose as he stared at the data pad he held. "Everything looks normal."

"How can it be normal? We can't get the damn' doors open," John snapped, expressing the frustration that everyone was feeling.

"We're working on it," Rodney stepped in, his face pale as he tried to ignore the dull aching that had begun to develop in his still-healing leg having ignored the need to take things easy as he rushed around from console to console in the control room. "I've got everyone I can working on it but we're going to have to go through the control pathways one by one to figure this out."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"Put it this way, you might as well get a good night's sleep and we'll let you know if we turn anything up sooner." Rodney didn't look happy about delivering the news.

"You do realise what's going on over there, don't you?" John couldn't help himself from saying it though he knew Rodney was well aware of the situation.

"What are our other options?" Carson jumped in, diverting Rodney from the retort he'd been about to make.

"There are no other options – unless you fancy swimming all the way to the mainland," Rodney was just about out of patience, never in plentiful supply anyway.

"What about Lorne? He's taken a group off in a 'jumper on a training exercise – he's in this system and doesn't need to return through the 'gate or 'jumper bay," John suggested. "We can recall him and get him to ferry people to and from the mainland – we can use one of the piers as a landing pad."

"That's better than nothing," Carson accepted reluctantly.

"I'll find out how soon Lorne can get back here and let Elizabeth know what's going on," John accepted the responsibility willingly, for once not griping about the unasked for role of leadership.

"I'll need to speak to her as well – she's going to have to make arrangements to treat those people until we can get there," Carson stated, before turning an appraising eye on Rodney as he left the room, making a mental note to deal with him as soon as he was done talking with Elizabeth.

"We'd better get to it, then."

------------

Mya is a character I created for another story – 'Guardian'.

_To be continued…._


	10. Chapter 10

**Part ten**

Elizabeth had waited nearly twenty minutes for the 'jumper to arrive – she was starting to get worried when a chirp from her headset alerted her to an incoming message. She listened carefully, thankful she was out of sight of the village as she was fairly certain she would find it impossible to maintain a positive appearance right now.

"How long before you can get here?" Elizabeth asked when she had chance to speak.

"It's going to be tomorrow morning at the earliest," came John's reply, and Elizabeth could feel her stomach sinking even lower at this news. "We'll keep you updated, but in the meantime Beckett wants a word."

The exchange with Carson was brief in the circumstances – she was already doing everything he could recommend and he approved of the use of the healer's medicines – he'd seen them in use before and knew they could make the difference here.

"I'll check in with you in two hours," Carson signed off. "And make sure you look after yourself – I don't want you making yourself ill."

Taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, Elizabeth headed back to the settlement, her mind running through various options and by the time she reached the central area, she was ready to deal with the children and provide further direction to help them make the best of the situation.

-------------

"Wait!" Elizabeth found herself calling out more sharply than intended as she watched Jinto about to hand out cups of tea to the waiting children.

The news that they were to be on their own for the time being hadn't phased the children in the slightest. Shrugging at what they had been told, they had all continued with their previously allotted tasks with Jinto's group continuing to prepare the midday meal.

Elizabeth had been helping with changing the soiled clothing and bedding of some of the patients, a somewhat distasteful task, and she found herself admiring the dedication of all the medical staff on Atlantis who took on tasks like these every day without thinking twice about it. As midday had drawn closer, she had called everyone away from their tasks to clean themselves up in readiness for the meal. She herself had been ushered into a chair set near the outdoor dining area by a very bossy Mya who had grabbed her hand and insisted she sit down for a rest.

Elizabeth, feeling more tired than she cared to admit once she had been forced to stop for a few moments, allowed her gaze to wander over the scene in front of her, the appetising smells coming from the cooking fires doing much to whet her previously small appetite. She had been handed the first cup of tea, and as she cradled the paler than normal liquid something had occurred to her.

"Jinto, everyone drinks this don't they?"

"Yes."

"But it's normally much stronger isn't it? When I've had it before it's been almost black."

"Only the adults drink it so," Jinto explained. "Children and those who are unwell take it weak, like this, otherwise it makes us behave strangely."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully, realising why she had enjoyed the tea so much before – it must contain a caffeine-like substance that would cause an adverse reaction in children or anyone with a compromised immune system. On this visit she had been given the much weaker version due to her recent ill health and now she was thankful for it.

"Don't you like it?" Jinto looked concerned. "It is a different blend from usual – it is very difficult to get some of the herbs and we used this new mix for the first time last night."

"It was very nice," Elizabeth assured him. "But I think it might be what has made everyone sick. Nothing else that you've had to eat or drink has been different from normal has it?"

"No," Jinto considered the question carefully.

"Then it has to be too much of a coincidence," Elizabeth said firmly. Pour some of that into a bottle so we can give it to Dr Beckett to analyse when he gets here and the rest should be thrown away. We'll just have to drink plain water for the time being."

Taking this in their stride as well, the children sat around chatting happily together as though this were a day like any other. After they had eaten, Elizabeth ensured everyone rested for a short time before continuing with their allotted tasks. For a while, Elizabeth flitted from place to place, checking that all was well until one of the children came rushing towards her, a slightly panicked look on his face.

"Kalen said you should come immediately," the boy told her, almost stumbling over the words in his haste. A feeling of dread washed over her as she hurried after the boy who led her to one of the tents on the outskirts of the settlement, occupied by an elderly couple.

"Dr Weir," Kalen greeted her with a look of relief, although she moved around the tent with confidence. "Carma is much worse. I haven't been able to get him to drink any of the medicine and I just checked his pulse – it was really weak. I…I don't think…" Kalen gulped, unable to finish what she was about to say. The children had all faced the death of friends and family by the Wraith, and even some who had died from sickness and a few from old age, but during those times there had been the support of the rest of the community which for the moment was unavailable.

"What about his wife - Vilena? How is she doing?" Elizabeth redirected Kalen's thoughts.

"She has drunk some of the medicine and is sleeping now. I think she will recover."

"That's good," Elizabeth was relieved that it wasn't all bad news. "I need to take care of a few things, then I'll be right back. Will you stay with Carma until I get back?"

"I will," Kalen said firmly, handling the situation much better now she was no longer dealing with it on her own.

Elizabeth returned to her own tent where she wasted no time in making contact with Atlantis.

"Carson, I think I've found the cause of the sickness," she said as soon as the doctor announced his presence. "The Athosians started to use a new blend of tea last night – the children and I weren't affected because we had a weaker version."

"And the babies are sick because their mother's drank it and then fed them," Carson acknowledged this. "I'm going to need a sample to test when I get there."

"That's already taken care of." Elizabeth paused before coming to the real reason for her call. "One of the elderly patients is very ill, I'm not sure he's going to make it. Can you give me any idea when we can expect help? I'm very much afraid there are going to be more deaths before this is through and we'll need to deal with them when it happens."

She could hear Carson swearing under his breath before speaking again, his voice calm and reassuring. "Major Lorne should be with you by morning and if necessary he can deal with the deceased. The pilot will drop him and his men off before returning to Atlantis to ferry the medical staff over."

"That's good news," Elizabeth said, having a quiet word with Jinto and several of the older boys before returning to Kalen as promised.

-------------

"I was afraid this might happen," Carson turned to John and Teyla who were standing beside him in the control room after Elizabeth had signed off. "And I was hoping I'd have a team over there before it came up."

"She sounds as though she is handling the situation well," Teyla offered up having listened to the exchange very carefully.

"Aye, but I'm afraid this will put her back to square one," Carson looked at her gloomily. "I don't suppose there's any chance of getting the 'jumpers out sooner?"

"Zelenka's working as fast as he can and he's got every available engineer helping out," John told him. "And Rodney was still trying to work on the problem even after you sent him off to get some rest."

"I know – I had to give him a sedative to make him sleep in the end," Carson admitted. "I know we need him working on a solution, but he's no good to us if he keels over from exhaustion."

"We understand, Carson," Teyla assured him. "You did the right thing."

"I just hope we can get over there before things get too bad," John said, feeling more than a little frustrated and expressing the opinion of all those present as they continued with their normal duties, their minds elsewhere.

---------------

"He has grown worse in the last few minutes," Kalen greeted Elizabeth on her return. Her face was calm as she related this news, accepting the inevitable and knowing she didn't have to deal with it on her own. "Vilena woke for a short time and I persuaded her to drink some more of the medicine before she slept again. I do not think she knows about Carma."

"Good work," Elizabeth praised the girl, rewarded by a small smile at the kind words. "If you would rather not be here, I can manage on my own."

"No, I will stay," Kalen told her firmly. "It will not be long I think, and it is right for one of his own people to be here at the end."

The two of them talked quietly together, each keeping a close eye on the old man. Elizabeth used the time to explain to Kalen the plan for dealing with those who didn't survive, trusting the girl to take it in her stride and help to organise things but still hoping they wouldn't have to put into practice.

Over the next two hours, Elizabeth noticed a change in Carma as his breathing slowed and stopped for a short time before he started to breathe again. This continued for several long minutes, Kalen's hand had sought out Elizabeth's and they sat holding hands, seeking reassurance for each other until Carma once again stopped breathing but this time there was no deep breath to indicate he was still with them.

"He's gone," Elizabeth said softly, brushing a tear away as she stood to draw the sheet over the old man's face.

"He is with the ancestors now," Kalen told her before turning to more practical matters. "I will fetch Jinto."

Thankful that Kalen knew what had to be done, Elizabeth followed the girl out of the tent and stood outside in the late afternoon sunshine, taking a deep breath to steel herself for what she suspected would be a long evening and even longer night until help reached them.

Before she had chance to do anything else, she felt a small hand take hold of one of her own hands and she looked down to see Mya looking up at her with a serious look on her face.

"Don't be sad," Mya told her gravely. "He isn't in any more pain now."

"I know," Elizabeth forced a smile on to her face, giving the little girl a hug that served more to soothe her own frayed nerves than reassure Mya. "Where am I needed now?"

"That's why I'm here," Mya said. "John and Carson spoke to me while you were with Carma. They said we needed to take care of you and that Major Lorne won't be here until morning. Carson said you were to rest now because he knew you would insist on staying up during the night."

"I can take care of everything while you rest," Kalen added as she reappeared at that moment. "If you are needed, someone can fetch you. Some of the others are also going to rest this afternoon so they will be ready to help during the night."

"I can see I've been out-manoeuvred," Elizabeth accepted her fate, seeing how much sense it made to do as she was told. "But you must come to me if you need anything at all."

"We will," Kalen told her, watching as Elizabeth returned to her tent.

-----------

Elizabeth hadn't really expected to sleep, but after half an hour of tossing and turning restlessly, the events of the day running constantly through her mind, her eyes drifted closed and the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her shoulder.

Instantly alert, Elizabeth grabbed the hand of whoever had woken her and sat upright abruptly.

"What's wrong?" She demanded, her thoughts immediately turning to the crisis she was currently in the middle of.

"It's alright, Dr Weir," Kalen assured her. "But the evening meal is ready and I thought you would want to join us."

"Of course, thank you." Elizabeth felt her heart rate returning to normal as she asked another question. "Is there anything I need to know about?"

"The herbs we are using seem to be working," Kalen reported. "Several people are showing an improvement, although they are sill very weak and no-one is getting any worse."

"That's good news," Elizabeth felt herself relaxing. "What about the other children?"

"The little ones have already been fed and put to bed," Kalen continued her report. "The others are all managing very well, although most are pretty tired now."

"That's understandable," Elizabeth acknowledged as she hurriedly dragged a brush through her hair to make herself more presentable. "I guess it'll be an early night for everyone then."

"Yes. Will you join us now?" Kalen noted Elizabeth was now ready and led the way to the communal area where everyone else was already waiting. It was clear who had been chosen to keep watch during the night – they were the ones who didn't look as though they were about to drop from exhaustion.

Taking a few moments to move around the children, speaking to each one in turn and making sure they understood what a good job they had done, Elizabeth took a seat just as a bowl of food was handed to her.

The food was eaten, the dishes washed and cleared away and for a short time the whole group sat quietly talking until some started to drift away to bed, the youngest first until only those who were to stay up, and Kalen, remained.

"Mirla is the next in age to me," Kalen told Elizabeth. "She will make sure things go as smoothly as possible, but if you need more help, please wake me. Good night."

"Good night, Kalen," Elizabeth took a deep breath then surveyed the five people left before turning to Mirla and nodding at her.

"We need to make sure everyone is comfortable and encourage those who are able to take some more of the medicine," Mirla instructed. "Please let me know if anyone becomes worse."

The children scattered in pairs, Mirla waiting for Elizabeth to go with her on their rounds. The night passed slowly in an almost continuous series of visits to the sick. They stopped every few hours for a drink and the chance to rest their weary bodies, but their duty made them forget the exhaustion that the few hours rest during the afternoon hadn't fully prepared them for.

As the night wore on, the early hours brought an increase in work as a number of the patients took a turn for the worse. After a quick check on three of the worst cases, Elizabeth knew there was too much for the few on duty to take care of and sought out Kalen, who in turn woke several others to help out.

It was almost five o'clock in the morning before things began to settle again, but settling down meant that four more had died almost without warning while six had stabilised, at least for now.

Elizabeth surveyed the white faced and heavy-eyed group in front of her, knowing they had just about reached their limit for coping through that long night. Kalen appeared at her side and spoke quietly to her for a few moments before disappearing again.

"You've all done a really good job," Elizabeth turned to the weary children. "As it's almost sunrise, Kalen has gone to wake some of the others to take over so you can get some sleep. Help should be here in a few hours, so you don't need to worry about leaving us to cope. Sleep well."

Taking a few moments to breathe in the fresh morning air, Elizabeth must have zoned out for a few minutes as she suddenly became aware that Kalen was standing beside her, looking at her speculatively, reminding Elizabeth of the way Carson would assess someone's general state of health just by a brief glance.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth assured the girl, who accepted what she said but looked as though she didn't entirely believe her. "Everything sorted?"

"Yes – I've left most of the younger ones alone for now, it's better for them to sleep a little longer," Kalen told her. "It is often during the early hours that an illness worsens or the fight becomes too much, but the morning is almost here so I'm hopeful the situation should improve."

"I hope you're right," Elizabeth told her. "Things do seem to have settled again."

"It is time for another dose of the tonic," Kalen continued. "It is running low so we will need to make more this morning. Come."

Together they collected the supplies they needed before splitting up to attend those able to drink a little of the healing tonic. This had become almost a routine now she had done it so often, but each time she had gone round, there was an improvement in more and more people, an encouraging sign. Elizabeth had just handed out her last dose when the familiar sound of a 'jumper's engine appeared overhead and she felt herself almost sagging with relief as she realised help had arrived at last. The relief was overtaken almost immediately by a heightened state of alert when she heard an unfamiliar voice calling out with considerable urgency.

"Kalen, Dr Weir! Come quickly."

Spotting Kalen emerging from another tent and heading towards the source of the voice, Elizabeth followed suit, reaching the tent at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked when she saw the pale face of the boy standing in front of her, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder as she realised it must be serious.

"It's Kulo," the boy told her, fear in his eyes. "Aryll - his mother - was getting better, but Kulo is not yet twelve months old and he wasn't very ill before, now he has a fever and seems so weak."

"How long ago did this happen?" Kalen demanded as she entered the tent where the worried mother was holding the limp and almost lifeless child.

"I'm not sure," the mother responded, her voice unsteady. "I was asleep and only woke when Garntu came with the medicine. When I checked Kulo, he was like this."

Two other children, several years older than the baby, were sitting up in bed staring with wide-eyed fascination at what was taking place, too young to understand what was going on.

"Garntu, take these two and make sure they are attended to," Kalen instructed as she knelt to take the baby from his mother. Elizabeth sat beside her and put an arm around her, trying to offer what little comfort she could, eyes focussed on Kalen.

"I have managed to get some of the tonic into him but it is too early to tell if it is working," Kalen reported, a troubled expression on her face that told Elizabeth the prospect wasn't good.

"Major Lorne arrived a short time ago," Elizabeth said, trying to bring hope. "We should let him know what's going on – they have a field medic with them."

Kalen nodded and after placing the baby back into his mother's arms, disappeared outside where a few moments later the familiar and very welcome sound of Major Lorne's voice could be heard, shortly followed by two men entering the tent with Kalen.

"Dr Weir," Lorne greeted her, his eyes taking in the situation at a glance as he stood out of the way to allow Lt Bradshaw past to join Kalen in consultation over the baby. "Sgt Thomson has returned to Atlantis to bring over the first medical team – they know he's on the way so they should be ready and waiting which means they'll be here within an hour and a half. The rest of the men are making themselves useful – Jinto and Mya have been bringing them up to date on what's been happening."

"It's a relief to see you, Major," Elizabeth smiled at him, ignoring the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her, suspecting her momentary lapse hadn't gone unnoticed although Lorne said nothing.

A few moments later, Lt Bradshaw got to his feet and moved to stand next to Lorne, Elizabeth joining them while Kalen took Elizabeth's place beside Aryll, speaking softly to her.

"It's not looking good," Bradshaw reported, keeping his voice low. "I've done everything I can but he's very weak. I'll get a message to Dr Beckett to get him here as soon as they arrive, but that may be too late."

"Surely there must be something…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off as she looked towards Aryll who was now holding her son.

"It is what I was afraid of," Kalen said as she joined them at that moment. "Sometimes there is nothing that can be done. Aryll is asking for you."

Elizabeth nodded, not trusting herself to say anything just now and sat beside Aryll, once more putting an arm around her shoulders.

While Lorne and Bradshaw left to see where else they were needed, Kalen busied herself with fetching refreshments for the three of them keeping vigil, gladly handing control over to the Atlantis personnel.

Time passed slowly in the tent. Elizabeth kept Aryll talking, hearing about her family and her life, always in fear of the Wraith and how things had improved since the people now living in Atlantis had arrived. At regular intervals, Kalen would check Kulo, each time sitting back down with a sense of relief that the child was still hanging in there. Each of them knew what might happen, but they all refused to speak it out loud, as though to say it would make it true.

Men's voices, one Scottish, the other belonging to Colonel Sheppard, grew closer and Elizabeth looked up, knowing that the baby's only chance of survival had just arrived. Her hopes were dashed a moment later by Kalen who had gone to check Kulo once more, the expression on her face as she desperately tried to find a pulse saying everything.

As soon as Carson entered he strode towards Kalen and the baby, intent on the patient and barely acknowledging anyone else. Elizabeth and Aryll turned their focus on Carson as well, Elizabeth gripping Aryll's arm tightly, not realising she was holding her breath until Carson moved to kneel in front of Aryll, taking the mother's hands in his own.

"I'm sorry, love," Carson told her as gently as he could. "There was nothing I could do." He remained there for a few moments before he got to his feet, patted Aryll on the shoulder and shot an appraising look at Elizabeth, before ushering John and the nurse who had accompanied him, outside.

Kalen gently wrapped the baby up in his blanket before placing him in his mother's arms for the last time, then left the two women alone, sensing Aryll's need to be with another adult at this time.

For a while neither of them said anything, Aryll being the one to break the silence.

"He looks so peaceful," she said, her voice muffled as tears began to fall. "As though he just fell asleep."

"He's not in pain any more and he will never know the fear that the Wraith bring." Elizabeth told her, trying to say the right thing. "And he has your husband and parents to watch over him now."

They fell silent again, Aryll still holding her son while Elizabeth hugged her as the tears fell. A movement at the entrance caught Elizabeth's attention and she watched as Kalen entered silently accompanied by the two little girls who had been taken away earlier.

"Aryll, I know how hard this will be, but your daughters need you now," Elizabeth released her grip on the other woman. "You have to be strong for them."

Sitting up straighter, Aryll looked towards the two girls who ran towards her, tears on their own faces as they also began to cry, not quite understanding what was going on.

"Your brother is with the Ancestors," Aryll told them, drawing them into a hug as Kalen took the baby from her. "He has father to look after him now, and you have me to care for you."

"Father's not alone any more?" One of the girls asked curiously, trying to make sense of this.

"No, he's not."

"Then we should be happy for him," she said, hugging her mother tightly.

Aryll looked up at Elizabeth and nodded her head, silently letting her know that she would get through this somehow. Elizabeth returned the nod and went outside, not surprised to see John waiting outside for her.

"How are you doing?" John asked, taking careful note of Elizabeth's appearance.

"I'm exhausted," Elizabeth tried to smile at him but failed miserably as the strength she had found to support Aryll drained away rapidly now that the crisis was over and someone else was here to take charge. Worse than that, she could feel tears filling her eyes and she was powerless to stop them from spilling over, turning away to try to conceal the fact that she was crying.

"Hey, it's alright to be upset," John told her, gently holding her arm as he talked.

"It's just…I was doing ok…I don't…" Elizabeth struggled to make a coherent sentence, not entirely sure what she wanted to say anyway and found her face unexpectedly pressed against John's shoulder as he drew her into a hug, rubbing her back reassuringly as she allowed herself the luxury of giving in to the riot of emotions that were running through her.

A few minutes later, Elizabeth felt strong enough to gather her thoughts together and pulled away from John's grip.

"Thanks," she told him with a shaky smile.

"Hey, what are friends for?" He grinned back at her. "So ready to return to home?"

Elizabeth didn't answer for a moment, memories of what had led to her stay on the mainland flooding her thoughts. The uncertainty that had plagued her before she arrived here was gone now and it was the old Elizabeth, the one that was most familiar that turned to John to reply.

"Yes," she told him simply, joining him as they returned to the 'jumper, ready to go home.

THE END


End file.
